Potara - A Sorrow Beyond Divinity
by WavesBlade
Summary: AU: Based off Dragonball Super. Made after the Universal Survival Tournament was revealed, but not released. Starts after the Universal Survival Tournament and plays out in a darker design. It expands the Dragonball Universe and focuses on Pan, and the absolute hell she must go through to keep those she cares about safe.
1. Ends and New Beginnings

Son Goku stood in front of the throne of the Omni-Kings. Both of them looked pleased to see him there. He couldn't find it in his heart to feel the same towards them. Twelve universes, before this damn tournament, there had been twelve universes, now there was one. He couldn't fathom it, fathom the number of people that had been wiped away so casually. He couldn't fathom how he and his friends had been forced to fight to the death each round to secure the future of their universe. How he had killed other innocents fighting for the exact same things he had been, fighting for his friends, for his wife, sons, and his infant granddaughter, Pan.

He had watched the other nine fighters from his universe, his friends and family die, one by one, before he and Hit had made it to the final round once again. It had gone against everything he believed in, his own code of honor, but, he had ended the fight instantly. No testing the waters, no warm ups, not even a good fight. Super Saiyan blue kaio-ken times twenty and it was over before Hit could even try to freeze time. He had killed the assassin, killed a rival he had held nothing against. Goku closed his eyes, clenching his fists in frustration, why did it have to be this way?

The Omni-Kings laughed, "Congratulations Son-Kun! You won the Universal Survival Tournament!"

He looked at the Omni-Kings, feeling pity in his eyes. Did they even understand what they had done? Even by his own standards that everyone made fun of him for, he considered the Omni-Kings to be fool-god-children. He had liked them initially, but, they acted on whim, without a care for anything but their own desires. Did they even understand right from wrong? He didn't honestly know if he should hate them or pity them.

He heard a sob, glancing to his right at the spectator bleachers. He had been surprised that out of everyone, Trunks was hit the hardest and was still completely out of it. His father's death had devastated him, and when Goten had been disintegrated for losing control and trying to interfere to save Gohan, it had been twice as worse. Bulma slapping the Omni-King's and disappearing just added it on top. Everyone who was left looked utterly crushed and devastated. Goku had watched it all, struggling to control his rage, determined to make it through and try to set everything right.

"So Son-Kun, did you enjoy the tournament?" asked the twin Omni-Kings.

Goku twitched, the veins in his forehead throbbing. How, how could they ask him that?

"Son-Kun?" They asked again.

Anger, anger and rage shook him, but he kept his voice even. "So… there's a prize for this, right?"

The Omni-Kings exchanged glanced. "Prize?"

Goku strained to control himself. "You know, like the universe six and seven tournament, the super dragon balls."

"Hmm," the left Omni-Kings said, "Well, universe six was destroyed, so, we lost a few of them."

Goku clenched his fists, "Dammit."

"But, we can just make more," said the right Omni-King.

"Why make dragon-balls all-chan?" asked the left Omni-King, "We can grant him any wish ourselves. How about two, one for each of us?"

"Hmm," replied the right Omni-King before holding out a hand, a blue glow surrounding him.

A blue ball levitated from his hand and floated infront of Goku, another one appearing next to it, a line of blue energy connecting them to the Omni-Kings. "Just grab the ball and any wish will instantly be fulfilled with our power."

Goku smirked and grabbed the first ball. "I wish all universes and people that were destroyed and killed as a result of this tournament be restored."

In an instant, everything was undone, friends and families were revived and embraced with tears and cries. Stars in the far off sky of the Omni-King's palace's tournament grounds were restored, signifying the return of the universes. Goku sighed with a relief he had never felt before.

"Son-Kun, why did you wish for that?" asked the left Omni-King, perplexed, "Now it's like the tournament never happened."

"Oh! I know," said the right Omni-King, "Now we can do the tournament all over again!"

Goku looked at them, horrified. "No!"

"No?" the Omni-Kings echoed.

Goku ground his teeth. He wanted to explain that this was all wrong, but, he felt as if his words would fall on deaf ears. He couldn't let this happen again, couldn't let this madness go on. He should have realized something like this could have happened after Omni-King had obliterated future Trunk's timeline along with Zamasu. He just thought it would never have gone this far.

He glanced at the last ball, any wish within their power. A thought came to him that he never would have acknowledged before. But, this tournament had made him do a lot of things he had never wanted to do before. The only power that could stop the Omni-Kings was their own power. The wish was granted instantly, without pause. He could wish for the Omni-Kings to disappear, to cease to exist, and they wouldn't be able to stop it…

 _"Don't do it!"_ _a girl's voice screamed in his mind._

Goku glanced up, startled. Behind the throne of the Omni-Kings stood a translucent form of a young girl, dressed in strange clothes that looked like an orange mix of the clothing of a Kai and a turtle hermit gi, complete with green Potara earrings. She was bloodied and battered, her clothes ripped, blood oozing from heavy wounds across her body. Her hair, he was startled to see her hair was standing upright, shining with the blue of a saiyan god. He couldn't believe it, she couldn't be more than twelve years old, yet she had gone blue. Her face, for some reason, held a level of familiarity to it.

The girl fell to her knees, her power fading, her hair and eyes turning to a normal black color, letting Goku see a swirling black portal behind her. Pieces of her body were starting to disintegrate and flow back into the portal. The girl gave a bloody smile, and again, her words filled his ears.

 _"D-don't do it, p-please, have… have hope in them…" the girl begged, life leaving her body and eyes._

"Wait!" Goku cried out, holding out a hand.

The Omni-Kings looked behind their throne before glancing forward again. "Wait for what Son-Kun?"

Could the Omni-Kings not see her? He watched as she collapsed, a single patora earing falling off her ear. She reached out, struggling to try to grasp the earing. A single, tired, word filled his ears before the earing, her body, and the portal disintegrated.

 _"Potara…"_

Goku stood there, mortified, his hand falling back to his side. A sense of dread filled him, for some reason, the fact that the portal had disintegrated instead of closed scared him and left a sense of finality that he was unfamiliar with. He made a guess since he had never met her, and that she knew what his wish was, that despite not having a time machine she was from the future. Yet, he couldn't shake the fact that she looked familiar, shared qualities with someone he knew… wait…

He glanced back towards his universes bleachers, at Videl and then the infant in her arms. He took one look at the child before recognition took over and horror crept into his body. The girl, the girl was his granddaughter. He turned to look past the Omni-King's throne, seeing his granddaughter disintegrate into nothingness over and over again in his mind.

He closed his eyes, fighting back tears. He recognized that whatever had happened in her timeline was his fault. He… he had killed his granddaughter, no, if he had to guess, he had probably led to the deaths of who knows how many people in that timeline by destroying the Omni-Kings, maybe everyone. The Omni-Kings were the gods of everything, who knows what would happen without them.

"Son-Kun? Are you okay?" asked the Omni-Kings.

"Y-yeah," he replied.

He looked down at the blue energy-ball, he wouldn't use their own power to destroy them, but, he couldn't let this continue. "I wish… that you two would understand my views of right and wrong."

A blue glow surrounded the Omni-Kings before a stunned look came over their faces. "Oh."

Goku crossed his arms and looked at them angrily. "Well?"

The Omni-Kings exchanged sad glances and looked towards him. "We're sorry, we didn't mean…"

Goku nodded. "I know."

He smirked. "Next tournament, how about no life or death, please?"

The Omni-Kings smiled. "It's a promise!"

He nodded and flew back to the universe seven area. "Hey guys!"

"Daddy!" yelled Goten, throwing himself at Goku for a fierce hug.

"Hey Goten, I'm so glad to see your back," said Goku merrily.

"Hmph, Kakarot, I hope you don't expect my thanks," said Vegeta, a scowl on his face, but, a happy gleam in his eye that he was trying to hide.

"From you? Nah, wouldn't dream of it," Goku joked.

"From wanting to kill Son Goku to being saved by him," said Android 17, shaking his head.

Android 18 elbowed him. "Again."

"Yeah yeah yeah," said 17 dismissively, "I try to forget that whole Cell business."

"And Majin-Buu," said Krillin.

"What bout Buu?" asked the plump Majin-Buu.

There was a chorus of laughter. Goku couldn't help but smirk at that, before his face fell. He hadn't been the one to save them. He ignored the continued congratulations and thanks of the others and set down Goten. He walked over to Videl, kneeling down to look at Pan. He had a feeling that in the long run, that this little girl had saved them. He poked her cheek with a finger and she grabbed it, giggling and drawing it into her mouth to try and gnaw on it playfully.

"Hee hee," Goku couldn't help but laugh, "That's my granddaughter."

Videl gave him a warm smile. "I'm glad we survived this, I would have dreaded never seeing my baby girl grow up."

Goku slowly pulled away from Pan and glanced one last time at the spot behind the Omni-Kings thrones. "Yeah, I would have dreaded it to."

He glanced back at the others. "C'mon, let's get out of here and go home."


	2. Barriers Broken

_**Chapter Two: Barriers Broken**_

* * *

 _Seven years after the Universal Survival Tournament_

Eight year old Pan sat at her desk furiously doing her homework. "Daaaaaad, can't I finish this after the tournament? We're already late!"

Gohan called from downstairs. "No Pan, if you hadn't stayed up so late on the phone with Bra instead of doing your homework, you could have been done last night. Finish your homework then we can go."

Pan called back. "But tournaments like this don't happen everyday!"

A stern tone entered her father's voice. "It's called taking responsibility, Pan, and I want to see your homework before we go to make sure its right."

Pan grumbled to herself. "Sometimes dad's worse than grandma."

She knew it WAS her own fault though. Well, half her fault, Bra liked to chit-chat for hours on end and Pan couldn't help but get dragged in. The veins on her forehead bulged in annoyance and anger. She was missing the second Universal Tournament right now! She wanted so badly to be cheering grandpa on and watch the awesome fights.

She reflected briefly. "Well, watch the fights I can follow anyway. When Grandpa and Vegeta go blue, I can't see a thing."

She blinked and refocused on her homework. "Tch, of course the teachers piled on the homework like crazy for the weekend."

Two hours later, she rose from her desk with a sigh, grabbed her homework, and walked downstairs to hand it to her father. Gohan sat a table, sipping coffee, his dorky glasses resting on his nose. He flipped through the papers of math problems and english paragraphs and science problems slowly. She tapped her feet impatiently, she knew he was going slow on purpose.

"Hmm...," mumbled Gohan.

"Daaaaaaaad," Pan couldn't help but whine.

He gave her a smirk, "Alright Pan, go get changed."

She gave him a fierce hug before running upstairs. "Yaaaaaay."

She tore off yesterday's school cloths and scrambled for her favorite orange gi. She knew it was childish, but she always hid it protectively under her bed in a trunk. It made her so happy to hold it, and even more to wear it. It was her favorite gift from her grandpa and she had never gotten it replaced. Whenever it got to tight for her to wear she went to Mister Piccolo to get it enlarged. She'd keep this thing for the rest of her life.

She put it on and rushed downstairs. "Where's mom?"

"She's already at the tournament," replied Gohan.

"Whaaaaaaat! She left without us?" Pan pouted.

Gohan smirked. "Yep."

Gohan fished a button out of his pocket and held it out. "You ready?"

Pan nodded and grabbed the button, pressing it down. "Lets goooooo!"

With a flash of light, they both disappeared and then re-appeared near in the Universe 7 area of the tournament grounds. They were immediately bombarded by the sound of cheering and then of shockwaves, energy beams, and the collision of fists. Pan glanced at the bleachers, found her mom in the usual group of her Grandpa's friends, and ran over to sit next to her before turning towards the fight.

"What'd I miss?" Pan asked.

"Besides everything?" Videl joked.

"Moooooom, that's not nice," Pan whined.

"Kakarot is in the final against the lizard of universe Twelve," Vegeta grumbled.

"Lizard? Wait what, the final already?!" Pan exclaimed.

So not fair, she had missed the entire tournament! She turned her head towards the ring...

"Wait, where's the ring?" Pan asked.

Vegeta scowled. "The Lizard tried the same tactic he used against me against Kakarot. Kakarot's lucky he saw us fight first."

"What tactic?" asked Pan.

Bulma giggled. "The 'Lizard' as Vegeta calls him knocked Vegeta towards the ring, and blew it up before Vegeta hit, so he hit the ground instead, thus out of bounds."

"Grrrrr," grumbled Vegeta, veins on his forehead bulging, "Cheap trick."

There was an audible boom, and finally, Pan could see the two competitors locked in a struggle far in the air, trying to overpower the other, their fists connected. One was her grandpa in his Whis Gi coated in his super saiyan blue aura, the other, to her surprise, was an actual lizard that was gray, scaley, and a bit taller than her grandpa. Guess Vegeta wasn't kidding. She blinked, the Lizard had a purple aura about him, and his clothes looked a bit like Beerus's, but wait...

"Is that guy a God of Destruction? I thought they weren't allowed to compete!" exclaimed Pan.

"He's an apprentice God of Destruction," said Piccolo, "They're allowed apparently."

"Apprentice?" repeated Pan, "Never heard of an 'apprentice' God of Destruction."

"It's what we would be if we ever gave in to Whis's nagging and agreed to take over after Beerus died," said Vegeta.

"It's apparently a really big deal that an apprentice was chosen, doesn't seem to happen often according to Whis," said Krillen.

Pan nodded and refocused on the fight in time to see the two of them give a cry before a huge explosion separated them and knocked them towards the opposing ends of the shielded arena. Both fighters were breathing heavily, sweat coating their clothes. Goku readied himself, adopting his traditional turtle hermit stance. Rather than attack, his opponent placed one arm behind his back, one in front of it, and half bowed.

"You have been a most worthy opponent, Son Goku," said the Apprentice God of Destruction.

Goku put one hand on his hip, and brought his other hand up to rub a finger under his nose. "Hee hee, thanks. You ain't to bad yourself Lord Komodo. So..."

Goku grinned and resumed his battle stance. "How about we get serious?"

The Apprentice God of Destruction, Lord Komodo, grinned. "Are you sure you can match my full power? I was under the impression you were already at your maximum."

Goku merely continued to grin, a smug look on his face. Lord Komodo barred his teeth, Pan wasn't sure if, for a lizard, that was a smile or not, and gave a roar. The purple aura surrounding him grew larger and spikier until finally it rested at twice its original size. Pan was nervous, she couldn't sense God ki, but, she figured he had just, at least, doubled his strength. C'mon Grandpa...

"Pft," said Vegeta, shaking his head, "Is that it? This will be a joke for Kakarot."

"Is that admitting that my dad's stronger than you?" joked Goten.

"Watch it brat, I said no such thing," countered Vegeta with fury.

"Haaaaaaaaaaaaahhhh," Goku began to yell, a red aura coating his blue one.

Lord Komodo gave a start. "What is this?"

"Kio-Ken times ten!" shouted Goku.

"Kio-..." Lord Komodo began to echo.

Goku surged across the battlefield faster than Pan could follow and slammed a fist into Lord Komodo's face, sending him skyrocketing across the arena, slamming into the barrier on the far end. Goku was upon him instantly, a blur in Pan's eyes. BAM BAM BAM BAM BAM! Fists slammed into Lord Komodo over and over again before Goku slammed him towards the ground and then cupped his hands towards his side.

"C'mon Grandpa!" shouted Pan.

Goku glanced her way and winked before refocusing. "Kaaaa-meeee-haaaaa-meee-HAAAAAAAAAAAA!"

The energy wave surged down straight at Lord Komodo. The lizard righted himself and massaged his face painfully before glancing upward, his eyes going wide. He threw his hands to the air and struggled to grapple with the energy wave as it hit him, forcing him down towards, and into, the ground. Goku let off his wave and powered down, breathing heavily. Lord Komodo threw off the rest of the energy wave to his side and rose to a knee.

"Lord Komodo is out of bounds! Son Goku is the winner of the second Universal Tournament!" the announcer shouted.

Pan glanced over, wasn't that the guy who normally did the budoki tournaments? How in the world did he land shout-casting tournaments for the gods? She shook her head and stood up with everyone else, cheering wildly. She was a bit sad she had missed basically the entire tournament, but maybe if she was lucky she could catch it on God-Tube the next time she went to go play with All-Chans.

Goku flew over and set down infront of the group. "So, how'd I do?"

"You were amazing grandpa!" said Pan, throwing herself at her grandpa.

Goku caught her, spun her around, and set her on his shoulder. "Hee hee, thanks Pan."

"Hmph, you were barely acceptable Kakarot. You took far to much damage at the start," said Vegeta.

Goku rubbed his neck, wincing a little. "Yeah, I'm still a bit sore, but what can I say? I wanted to see what an apprentice God of Destruction could do. I woulda went times five at the end and fought for a bit, but I didn't think my body would hold out long enough, so I had to end it."

"Son-Kun and universe seven! Please approach the throne quickly," came the voices of the Omni-Kings.

Pan and Goku exchanged glances. "Quickly?"

"Sounds like they are in a hurry or something," said Trunks.

"Whaaaaaaaaaaa," cried out Pan with glee as Goku surged through the air towards the throne with her still on his shoulder.

The other's, the supreme Kais', Beerus, and Whis followed suit and set down in-front of the Omni-Kings. ""Congratulations Son-Kun! You won the second septennial Universal Tournament!"

"Thanks," replied Goku.

"So, what does Grandpa win?" asked Pan.

"We will give him any wish later, but we're kind of in a hurry since Son-Kun asked us to wait a bit before starting the tournament, we can't be late for the meeting," replied the left Omni-King.

Pan glanced down at her Grandpa. "Why'd you wait?"

He glanced up. "Wanted you to be here."

"Oh," said Pan, feeling a little ashamed.

"It's okay," he answered.

Pan glanced at the Omni-Kings. "Who you gonna go meet that has you in such a hurry?"

The Omni-Kings exchanged glances, but were silent.

"Ooooh secret meeting," said Goku gleefully.

"Goku, be more respectful," chided Beerus.

"It's okay Beerus-chan," said the Omni-Kings.

Beerus began to blush and stammer. "O-okay Al... al... All-c-chans."

Pan couldn't help but giggle. They had been working so hard over the last few years to get Beerus to try and be more relaxed around the Omni-King. He was a work in progress, a very slow work in progress. The God had fainted the first time he had said 'All-chan' directly to the Omni-Kings and they smiled back at him. It had been hilarious.

"Hmm," said the Omni-Kings, exchanging glances again, "Should we? They are our friends after all, mortal friends, but they can know."

The left nodded. "Okay."

The right smiled. "Good, it's settled."

The Omni-Kings glanced at the Grand-Priest who nodded and floated towards the gathered universes. "Thank you for attending the second septennial Universal Tournament, we look forward to the next one. Please see your God of Destruction and their guide to return to your own universes."

With that, the Grand-Priest floated back to them, and teleported them into the Omni-King's throne room.

"Come friends," said the Omni-Kings, walking past their thrones.

Pan grew curious, she had never moved past the thrones, she didn't think there was anything further in the palace. They moved on, being teleported to another hallway that they walked down. Pan always had a sense of wonder walking through the Omni-Kings palace, seeing stars and galaxies instead of floors and walls was amazing to her. They teleported again, to her surprise, to a quiet, darker room. There were twelve pedestals in a circle. The group moved to the center, following the Omni-Kings.

"Please sit," said the Omni-Kings.

Except for the Omni-Kings, the rest of them sat on the ground.

Goku whispered to Whis, "Hey, what's goin on?"

Whis shook his head. "I do not know, I've never been here before."

The Grand-Priest gave a smile and glanced around the gathered group. "What you are about to witness is a great secret of creation. Be honored that you are to witness it."

Pan couldn't help but wonder what he meant by that. The group hushed as the Omni-Kings floated into the air and began to glow blue. Pan gave a start as a ringing sound was heard and the pedestal's began to glow. Was that... was that the sound of a phone? Really? Pan nearly fell over as the ringing sound stopped and something akin to 'please hold' telephone music started to play from each pedestal. She wondered who the Omni-Kings were calling.

"Five more minutes before the designated time," said the Grand-Priest.

"Woah, we really cut the tournament close, didn't we?" said Goku.

The Grand-Priest nodded. "Yes, the Omni-King was considering stopping time to take this call and then returning."

"Must be really important then," said Gohan, "I'm always rushing to be on time for my own conference calls."

The Grand-Priest smiled at him. "Well, this is a bit more than a 'conference call', this occurrence only happens once every thirteen-thousand years."

"Oh, woah," said Pan, growing excited, she couldn't wait.

Finally, the music stopped, and the sound of a phone being picked up was heard. To Pan's shock, 3-D holographic images sprang up from the pedestals. Each and every one of them was another Omni-King, each sporting different colors, and jackets. Beerus gave a startled cry and fell over, fainting in shock. Everyone else's mouths were gaping, surprise on their faces.

"Hello all-chans! Can we go first?" asked their Omni-Kings _(Ours)_.

Many of the other Omni-Kings exchanged glances. "All-Chans?"

"Why is there two of you?" one of the other Omni-Kings asked.

The left introduced the Omni-King _(Ours)_ to his right. "This is All-Chan from another timeline."

"Hmm," the other twelve Omni-Kings echoed.

"Woah..." said Pan quietly.

The Omni-Kings glanced down at the group. "Who are they?"

"Our friends," the Omni-Kings _(Ours)_ answered.

"Hmm," the other twelve Omni-Kings echoed, "Most are are mortal."

The Omni-Kings _(Ours)_ nodded. "Yes, mortal friends are really fun!"

"Hmm," the other twelve Omni-Kings echoed, "Why are they fun?"

"Well, they talk to you without fainting or getting all stuffy and scared, usually. They treat us nice and play with us not because we are Omni-King, but because they like us," replied the Omni-Kings _(Ours)._

The Omni-Kings paused, mulling over what had been said. Pan looked closer, identifying that each Omni-King had different colors specifically on the outside of their jackets. There were a red, blue, yellow, green, orange, pink, brown, black, gray, white, gold, and silver, their own Omni-King was purple.

Finally, the Omni-Kings started to not echo one another, the pink one spoke, "I'm gonna try to get a mortal friend!"

The red one shook his head. "I don't think mortals and god's should interact."

The green one crossed his arms. "Seem's all right with his dimension."

"Dimension?" Pan asked.

Immediately all the Omni-Kings frowned at her. Pan winced and bowed her head.

"Pan-chan, please don't speak unless you are asked too," said the Omni-Kings _(Ours)_.

"Sorry," Pan mumbled.

"It's fine," replied the Omni-Kings _(Ours)_.

"Omni-King," said the Gray Omni-King, "You asked to go first, so you may."

"We'll, we just got done with a fun fighting tournament!" said the Omni-Kings _(Ours)_.

"Tournament?"asked the blue one.

A sphere appeared in the left Omni-King's (ours) and began to swirl. Pan briefly caught the images of people fighting in super fast motion.

"Hmm," echoed the Omni-Kings.

"If you wanted to see fighting, why not have the gods fight?" asked the black Omni-King.

The right Omni-King _(Ours)_ answered, "Because you got to appreciate people fight at different levels of power. If its the same thing every fight it gets boring."

"Hmm," echoed the Omni-Kings.

"Maybe I'll watch some mortals fighting in my own dimension," said the white Omni-King, "Perhaps it could be interesting."

The yellow Omni-King asked, "Your allotted time is running out, was there anything else? Last time you said you got rid of a few universes. Did you make or destroy anymore?"

The Omni-Kings _(Ours)_ shook their heads. "No, we've had a few other tournaments and some new time rings appear, otherwise, not much has happened since last time."

The Omni-Kings began to switch off on who spoke, going around in a circle. Pan had been excited initially, but grew bored quickly. It was like a doctor's checkup visit. Each followed a basic script: any new universes, any destroyed universes, any new gods or angels, and anything else. The only deviance aside from their own universe was the gray one where some god went on a power trip and challenged Omni-King, and that didn't end well. None of the Omni-Kings had seemed pleased to hear about that incident.

Finally, the Omni-Kings bid each-other goodbye and promised to meet again in another thirteen thousand years before the images faded away.

Goku got up and stretched, yawning as he did. "Say All-Chans, you never told us there were more of you."

They floated down. "Well, usually it doesn't matter. We only contact eachother every thirteen thousand years through a combined effort."

Pan tilted her head. "So you don't go and visit them?"

The Omni-Kings shook their heads. "We cannot, its not possible to transverse dimensions. It takes a great effort to even communicate between them. It was by chance that we even discovered other's to begin with."

"Huh," said Goku, "That's a real shame, I can't even imagine all the strong fighters out there that I could challenge."

Pan took notice of a certain gleam appearing in Grandpa's eyes. She swore she could see the wheels in his head turning. She couldn't help but wonder what idea was forming in his head.

"Pah, Son-Kun, you are never satisfied," said Bulma.

"I agree! It's hard enough to get you to stay home with our universe alone, let alone the others, forget this dimension none-sense," chided Chi-Chi.

"Still, it is rather interesting to know that there's other 'dimensions'," said Gohan, "This actual gives credibility to a few scientific theories floating around."

"Anyway, do you want me to take you all home?" asked the Omni-Kings.

"We would appreciate it," said Videl.

The Omni-Kings snapped their fingers and everyone teleported back to earth outside of capsul corp.

Bulma gave a laugh. "Omni-King taxi service."

"Hmm?" asked the Omni-Kings.

"One of mom's bad jokes," said trunks, "Don't mind her."

Bulma smacked the back of his head. "What was that?!"

The group laughed before beginning to separate.

Goku called out. "Hey, wait a second All-Chans, I just remembered, you said I get one wish right? For winning the tournament?"

The group stopped and regathered, the Omni-Kings floated a bit in-front of Goku. "Yes Son-Kun, do you know what you want to wish for?"

Goku rubbed his hands together greedily. "Hee hee, I got an awesome idea! You will love it."

Pan stretched a bit and distanced herself from her Grandpa and the group, wary of getting caught up in some crazy wish. It wasn't often Grandpa had that gleam in his eye, but usually something spetacular happened.

The two Omni-Kings held out their hands, twin streams of blue energy condensed to make one ball in-front of Goku.

Goku smiled, a huge, wide grin on his face. "Hee hee, it's like an Omni-King dragonball."

Goku grabbed the ball and made his wish. "I wish it was possible for all dimensions to visit one another!"

A look of shock, then pure horror coated the Omni-Kings faces. "Goku!"

Instantly the sky tore open in four places, bursts of green energy spilling out of it to condense in one spot. The ground and sky began to shake, a great tearing and swirling sound was heard. Blue energy was ripped from the Omni-Kings, who fell to their knees, shaking with exhaustion and pain. The spot all the energy condensed to exploded into a full blown portal.

Everyone grabbed onto one another as a vacuum wave erupted from the portal, trying to suck everything and everyone in. The only one that couldn't hold on was Pan, who had separated herself from the group.

Pan gave a startled cry as she was pulled into the portal. "Grandpa!"

"Pan!" cried out the group as she disappeared.

The portal continued to pull and rip at everything in sight. Trees, dirt, glass, pieces of buildins began to tear away and float into the portal until finally, it began to settle down and became stable.

Slowly, and shakily, the Omni-Kings rose to their feet and locked their furious gaze on Goku. "Son! Goku! Do...! you...! have...! any...! idea...! what...! you...! have...! done...?"

Goku gulped as everyone scrambled to get away from him. "Umm..."

Exhaustion shone across the Omni-King's faces. "If you weren't our friend, we would destroy you for what you just did. You... you drained almost all of our power to do... this..."

The left spoke. "If there hadn't been... two... of us, one of us... might have been really hurt, maybe even died, or, have had to at least had to sleep for a few millennia to recover."

Goku's face paled. "I'm... I'm sorry, I didn't mean, I didn't know..."

"You broke a rule of creation! It's supposed to be impossible!" shouted the right Omni-King, appearing to recover a little bit.

"Not only that! You got Pan-Chan lost in there!" said the left Omni-King, also appearing to regain his breath.

They both pointed an accusing finger at him. "Selfish, you selfishly wanted to open paths so you could go fight people!"

"N... well, maybe a little, but, I wanted you two to be able to go meet the other twelve Omni-Kings," said Goku in his defense.

"You don't understand, "said the left Omni-King, "It's not just twelve. Those are just twelve in our group. Even we don't know how many dimensions there are. There could be hundreds, thousands, millions, billions, we don't know. And you, you just got Pan-chan thrown out there."

Goku couldn't say anything, he merely hung his head.

"What's more, there's not way you drained just our power, that you just hurt us, you had to have hurt every Omni-King that lives. The only way that the connections could be made would be to have used the powers of the other Omni-Kings as well," accused the right Omni-King.

"Even if you are our friend, we should still destroy you," said the right Omni-King.

Goku continued to hang his head. "I'm sorry..."

The left Omni-King sighed. "No, we can't, but, he will take responsibility in another way. You are going to go find Pan-Chan, and until you do, you are banished from this dimension!"

Goku raised his head, a serious look coming across his face. "Alright, I'll do it."

"Hmph, if Kakarot is going, then so am I," said Vegeta.

"Pan's my daughter, I can't just stay here and not go look for her," said Gohan.

"I'll go too!" said Videl.

"But honey, it could be dangerous," said Gohan.

"I don't care! I'm going to find my daughter!" shouted Videl.

"Enough!" said the Omni-Kings, "You four may go, no other mortals will be permitted outside of our dimension until this is resolved. Supreme Kai Shin! You will go with them as our representative if your search ends up involving the gods of other dimensions."

Shin nodded. "Yes."

"Wait a second," said Bulma, "Let me go get some supplies and food to put in capsules!"

"Goku, you should go get as many Sensu Beans as Korrin will let you have, you don't know how long you will be gone and could use them," suggested Piccolo.

Bulma and Goku split before regathering thirty minutes later.

"I'll call your jobs and try to get it all sorted out," said Chi-Chi, "Maybe I can work with Mr. Saten to come up with some kind of excuse."

"Thanks mom," said Gohan.

"Well? What are you waiting for? Get going and get my granddaughter back!" shouted Chi-Chi.

With that, the five of them stood in a line, and walked through the portal.


	3. Ruined Earth

_**Potara - Chapter 3: Ruined Earth**_

* * *

Pan's screams faded as she passed into the portal. It felt as if her body was being torn apart and ripped to shreds. Green energy coated her sight, it was all she could see. She couldn't feel any part of her body, it felt as if she were floating, no, sprawling, falling, through an endless green expanse. She tried to cry, but no tears would fall. Tried to move, but couldn't budge. Tried to scream, but no sound came. Slowly, she felt like she was losing consciousness, losing any sense of herself.

She didn't even realize when all of the sudden she appeared, whole in body, a green aura of unusual energy surrounding her, on a hill looking overlooking a ruined, devastated town. She floated to the ground and stood there, in a daze. The green energy faded, and she fell to her knees, a ringing sound in her ears, her vision blurry. She collapsed fully, looking down at the town without really looking. She thought she heard an explosion, though she saw a flash of orange fire and black smoke.

She closed her eyes, and took in her first breath since passing through the portal. The ringing slowly faded, and other sounds became more concrete. She slowly gained back her senses. She sniffed, smelling smoke. She tilted her head, hearing booms. She rose to a knee, gripping her head.

"Ugh...," she muttered to herself.

She glance around weakly, "Where... am I?"

BOOM!

Pan yelped as a shock-wave slammed into her and knocked her back to the ground. She shook her head and blinked, fully gaining her senses back. She became aware all of the sudden of two humongous Ki signatures far away, smashing into each other, they were strong really strong, close to Goten and Trunks when they spared as Super Saiyans. Closer, nearby in the town she was looking at, she could feel small ki signatures disappearing one by one, being pursued by larger ones. What in the world was going on?

Pan rose to her feet and took off towards the town. She grew fearful, hearing screams being cut off one, by one, by one. She gave a startled cry as she came across the first corpse, burned by a ki blast. She ground her teeth, who, who had done this?

She rushed into the town, keeping close to the wall and trying not to look at all the dead bodies everywhere. She saw a older woman running with two children, one boy one girl, holding her hands. A ki blast shot out and tore through the woman's chest, killing her and knocking the children to the ground.

Pan covered her mouth to hold in her scream. She glared hatefully towards the source of the ki blast and saw a man standing there. She was surprised, he wore armor sort of similar to Vegeta, except striped and with shoulder pads. His face was hard and cruel, a wicked grin on his face. His hair kind of spiky, similar somewhat to Grandpa and Vegeta. Around his waste was a curled tail. Was he... a Saiyan?

"He he he, one bitch down, two brats to go, and the towns almost clean. This is too easy with the head bitch and the other two kept busy, there won't be a single human left by the time this day's over," said the man, walking towards the children.

Pan clenched her fists in fury. MURDERER! He was killing innocent people! Slaughtering them and looking like he was enjoying it. The man stopped and held out a hand, aiming towards the kids.

He licked his lips. "Night night kiddies."

"NO!" screamed Pan as her rage exploded, igniting her ki, and surged through the air at him.

The man gave a start and glanced her way. "Wha?"

Pam slammed a fist into his face, smashing him through a nearby building, she turned to the kids, "Run! Get out of here!

The kids didn't move, terror on their faces.

"You little witch!" the Saiyan cried out.

Pan turned back in time to cross her arms to block a devastating kick aimed at her stomach. She was sent rocketing back and slammed through a dusty street sign, snapping the top part off. She rolled along the ground, wincing painfully, before springing up to her feet and cupping her hands to her side.

"Kaaa-meeee," she began.

The Saiyan paused. "The hell? Her power is skyrocketing..."

"Haaaaa-meeee-HAAAAAAA," Pan screamed before aiming her hands and releasing the energy wave towards the Saiyan.

The Saiyan grinned. "Not bad kid."

He gave a roar and slammed his fist into the energy wave, knocking it into a building and causing it to explode. Pan's eyes went wide as the Saiyan began to power up. Oh shit, he was stronger than she was, way stronger.

The Saiyan laughed. "Intel said there were only three threats, guess they were wrong. Probably weren't lookin for little kids, I gotta hand it to you for hiding and livin this long."

Before she could react, the Saiyan crossed the distance and gut punched Pan hard, causing blood to spurt out her mouth several feet over the Saiyan's shoulder. Pan fell to her knees, wheezing. The Saiyan knelt town, took a finger, and dragged it along her blood on the ground before raising it to his lips.

"Mmmm," said the Saiyan, enjoying the taste.

Pan looked at him, horrified. The Saiyan stood before slamming his leg into Pan's side, sending her sprawling across the street.

"Hey guys! Look at what we got here!"

Pan cringed, slowly, rising to her feet to see another three saiyan's appear, two men and a woman. All four began to circle her, chuckling and jeering. Pan was scared, she was only strong enough to fight the weakest, the other three were way stronger than she was. What was she going to do?

"Kaio-ken TIMES TWENTY!" a woman's voice yelled out.

Before anyone could react a blur of red slammed into the initial male Saiyans, pulverizing him in a barrage of blows that left him a bloody mess. Pan was shocked to see her Grandpa's old technique coating the woman in a fiery red aura, but was grateful to take in the sight. The woman looked about twenty years old. Her face was tough and ragged, a few heavy scars on it. Her hair was short, almost like Pan's mother had been in her teen years. She was wearing a torn up black and white gi that had a symbol that stood for "Fox Hermit" above her right breast. Pan was curious, who in the world was the Fox Hermit?

The three Saiyans jumped the woman, trying to overwhelm her. "Kid! Get out of here!"

Pan recovered and shook her head. "No!"

Pan crossed her arms and powered up. "Haaaaaaaaaa!"

The woman shot her a surprised look before Pan surged into the fray, tackling the weakest Saiyan, a fat plump one, out of the fight. Pan hit him on the head over and over again, letting her fury over the death of the innocent people in this town overtake her. Her power ignited, surging higher and higher. She clobbered him over and over again before he suddenly opened his mouth and let out a mouth beam, blasting Pan off of him.

Pan winced and recovered, standing up only to cry out and be knocked back down as the fat Saiyan headbutted her belly hard. Pan kicked him off her and rolled, cringing and cradling her ribs. Oh man that had hurt. She glanced up, only to be kicked in the face, knocking her back a few feet and onto her back. Dammit...

"Kaio-ken Times Ten!" a man's voice sounded out.

A man surged over Pan's head and slammed a knee into the fat Saiyan's neck, snapping it. Pan watched in shock as the fat saiyan fell over dead and the man touched down and looked her over curiously. He was older, maybe fifty. He was tough looking, muscular, with a serious face. The fires of the Kaio-ken giving him an almost menacing appearance. However, all Pan had to do was look into his eyes to find a soft, kind man. He wore a gi similar to the other woman's, owning loyalty to the Fox Hermit.

Pan rose to her feet, wincing. "We have... to help her..."

The man shook his head. "Aideen can handle herself. You need to grab those others kids and get out of here, head to Haven, quickly, Odianna is holding off the main force and can keep you all safe. Stick low to the ground and don't draw attention."

Pan blinked, taking in the flurry of names and orders, she could still feel two huge power's, dwarfing either of the two humans and Saiyans in front of her, fighting in the distance. "Haven...?"

"Dammit Aneurin! Get the hell over here!" shouted the woman, Aideen.

Immediately the man, Aneurin, took off to join the fight. Pan stood there, watching in awe, as the two of them picked the two remaining Saiyan's apart. Pan blinked, her eyes narrowing, sighting another Saiyan leaning against the shadow of a ruined, burning building. He looked somewhat similar to the first Saiyan she had encountered, but, she took note that he had no tail.

Pan grew squeamish as, rather than just defeat them, the two Kaio-ken warriors killed the downed Saiyans, a beam through the back of their heads. That... that went against everything Grandpa had ever taught her. There was no honor in that act. Though, unlike the Saiyans, at least they didn't look they got a thrill out of murder like the Saiyans did. They just looked grim.

The Saiyan in the shadows began to clap and walk forward. "Well done, you took care of the trash."

Pan bristled. How could he talk about his own allies like that? Aneurin and Aideen took a battle stance and looked like they were about to attack before the woman froze. Pan felt a wave of fear wash over her.

"No tail, he has no tail!" Aideen exclaimed.

"Haaaaaaaaaaa!" shouted the Saiyan, his hair raising into the air and turning yellow.

"Shit! Super Saiyan!" swore Aneurin.

Pan shared their fear as the Super Saiyan's aura ignited around him. The Super Saiyan was upon them before they could react, clobbered Aneurin to the ground with a two handed fist. Aneurin's kaio-ken aura faded away the moment he hit the ground. The Super Saiyan rushed Aideen, engaging her in a flurry of blows.

"Times twenty-five!" shouted Aideen desperately.

Her aura expanded and she screamed with pain, it was clear that level of Kaio-Ken was to far too high for her body. For a few moments though, it looked like she was driving the Super Saiyan back. All Pan had to see to crush that hope was the grin on the Saiyan's face, he was toying with the woman. The Saiyan grabbed one arm that was swinging at him overhead, grabbed another that went for his gut, locking her down. He lashed out with a knee, driving it into his opponent's stomach.

Aideen gasped and staggered back, her opponent letting go of her. The onslaught was instant and relentless, smashing fists and knees and legs and feet into her over and over again before he finally kicked her to the ground.

Aideen trembled in pain, struggling to rise to her feet. "K-k-kaio-K-ken t-times t-thirt..."

The Super Saiyan smashed a leg into her head, knocking her fully to the ground and extinguishing her red aura. "As much as I would find it amusing for you to kill yourself with that pathetic trick, I'd rather pick you apart myself. Not to mention..."

He licked his lips. "I might want to enjoy you a bit first."

"Hyaaaa!" Pan cried out, surging at his head and booting him with all her might.

The Super Saiyan staggered a few feet before turning towards her, a grin on his face. "Tsk tsk tsk, you should have run away little girl."

The Super Saiyan grabbed the neck of her gi and rammed his head into hers. Pan cried out in pain before he brutally slammed her into the ground. Pan laid there, sobbing quietly to herself, unable to move.

"Pathetic, I'm shocked you humans have lasted this long, I..." the Super Saiyan began to say.

The Super Saiyan paused and whirled around. "Shit."

Pan tried to focus and became aware of something. Of the two huge powers that had been fighting a ways away, only one, now feeling weaker, remained and was rapidly approaching. Pan weakly glanced up to see a red light streaking towards the town, stopping above them.

Floating there, glaring down with a cold, almost frighteningly wrathful face was a teenage girl, maybe sixteen years old. Her fists were clenched hard, Pan was surprised there wasn't blood flowing from them. The girl was the third one bearing the Fox Hermit Gi, engulfed in the aura of the Kaio-Ken. The girl's ki gave off a menacing feeling, but Pan was sure it was directed all at the Super Saiyan. The girl slowly turned her face, gazing over the town, stopping on each dead body she saw. Each one piled on the anger, the raw hate that Pan felt emanating from her. Pan began to tremble, feeling frightened of her. The girl glanced at Aideen and Aneurin, an annoyed look briefly crossed her face. Finally, she turned her gaze upon the Super Saiyan. Was she the Odianna the other two had been talking about? She had to be.

Odianna's anger and hatred erupted, and in a loathing voice she screamed, "Kaio-Ken times fifty!"

Pan coughed with shock. She didn't know that much about the Kaio-Ken, but she did remember Grandpa saying that is was an extremely dangerous technique to use. The highest he had ever gone was twenty, god ki or not. Going higher than twenty was asking to get your body ripped apart he had told her.

A shock-wave erupted from the woman before she launched herself at the Super Saiyan with a fury that Pan had never seen before. For a brief moment, Pan hoped what she felt was wrong. The woman had appeared just like Grandpa in his old stories when he arrived to save the day with determination to protect his friends, but mercy towards his opponents. It was clear right away that it not not the same with this woman, she was nothing like Grandpa. Each attack, each blow she threw was viscous, meant to maim or kill. Ki blasts flew from each of them carelessly, coming damn near close to hitting the three downed fighters.

"Damned Saiyan garbage! You should never have come here!" yelled Odianna.

The Super Saiyan didn't respond, desperately focusing everything he had to try and keep pace. Pan watched in disbelief, not sure if she was dreaming. She had never seen a human go toe to toe with a Super Saiyan like that, not counting the undetectable androids, but there was a clear ki signal coming from her. Then again, Tien and Krillin, even her own mother, were super strong humans. If they could use the Kaio-Ken like she could, they could probably take on a Super Saiyan with relative ea...

Pan gave a cry as a ki blast hit the ground next to her, half hitting her and sending her flying. She rolled along the ground and came to a stop, breathing heavily, her breathing raspy. Dammit... everything hurt so much...

Pan struggled to not black out, focusing her on the battle. The girl ducked under a swipe, bringing one of her hands up to push her opponent's arm up, and gut punching with the other. The Super Saiyan staggered back, coughing up a bit of blood.

Odianna swept the Super Saiyan's feet out from under him and grabbed a leg as he fell. With a war cry, she rushed forward towards the broken sign Pan had hit earlier. She swung him over head and skewered him on the pole. The Saiyan roared in agony, grabbing the pole, and ripping it out of him.

Odianna flew up high and then surged down, driving a knee deep into his gut. The Super Saiyan puked up blood onto the girl, a little bit splashing her face. She grinned wickedly, licking up the blood, before she bared her fists and let into the pinned fighter. Slowly, the yellow aura of the Super Saiyan faded, but she still didn't stop. Pan felt sick, trying, but failing to look away as the girl beat the Saiyan long after he died. Finally, she stood, kicked the corpse of the Saiyan up into the air, and blew him away with a burst of Ki.

The girl's Kaio-Ken aura faded, revealing her natural brown hair and eye colors. She walked over to Aideen and Aneurin and aimed a hand at them, gifting them ki. Slowly, the two recovered and sat up, groaning.

"How many times do you two have to almost die before you listen? Don't fight Super Saiyans! Leave them to me!" yelled Odianna.

Aideen rose to her feet, massaging her shoulder. "Not like we had a choice, he jumped us."

"Pah," scoffed Odianna, "I felt another power near the Super Saiyan briefly after you fell. Is there another Saiyan I need to take care of?"

Aneurin glanced around before spotting and pointing at Pan. "No, what you felt was that little girl over there."

Odianna looked at Pan with disbelief. "Seriously? You have to be joking, that power at that age? If she was what I felt earlier she spiked higher than your times ten for a moment, Aneurin. I've never seen her before, who taught her the Kaio-Ken and what level was she at?"

"She wasn't using it at all," said Aideen.

"Eh?" replied Odianna.

Odianna slowly walked over, standing over Pan and studying her. "That power at that age isn't normal at all... her ki though, its felt almost as if... but no, she doesn't look Saiyan... and wait, that gi, who the hell is the Turtle Hermit?"

A small voice called out. "S-she saved us. The Saiyan's killed mom, and were about to kill us! But she drove him off and then got beat up."

Odianna glanced over at the two children from earlier who were peeking over at them from behind a pile of rubble. "Hmm."

"Wonder about it later, she needs a medic, we all do," said Aneurin.

"Speak for yourself," said Odianna, before she looked at Pan and spoke critically, "Can you stand?"

Pan tried to speak, but couldn't find the strength. In one way, she hoped the girl would gift her ki like she did the other's so she could move on her own, in another way though, she didn't want to feel that kind of malice in her body.

"Hmph, guess not," said Odianna dismissively before turning and walking away.

"Hey you two, want to help me carry her back to Haven?" Aideen asked the children.

The two children nodded and ran over, gently picking Pan up by her arms and putting her over their shoulders. Aideen wrapped her arms around the children and started to fly into the air, following Odianna and Aneurin.

"What about mamma and the others? We can't just leave them here," asked one of the children.

Aideen shook her head. "I'm sorry, We will send someone to bring them to the cemetary later, we can't be sure if all the Saiyans have been taken care of. We need to bunker down for awhile."

The children nodded and grew silent. It was weird, Pan would have thought that the children would have cried, but, they sounded almost resigned, as if they were dulled towards death. Pan weakly shook her head and closed her eyes, trying to relax. Oh man she felt sore and exhausted. Finally, she gave a sigh and gave in to her weariness, passing out.

* * *

 _Trivia_ / _Facts: (If you guys want I can start keeping/making this section for every chapter to give helpful hints/backstory, let me know, also, give feedback on the storyline/plot and OCs! Since were moving into uncharted territory for DBZ, there's going to be a lot of OCs.)  
_

 _(1) Aideen's name means 'Little Fire'._

 _(2) Aneurin's name I believe is welsh, meaning 'man of Honor'._

 _(3) Odianna is from the word Odi, which is Latin for 'Hatred', adding an "anna" at the end to try and sound female. Corney common way to make a female name, I know, but I couldn't really find a name that meant Hatred that wasn't really crazy sounding, sorry, but Hatred you will come to find is a core concept of this character.  
_

 _(4) Pan has inherited a version of her father's legendary rage boosts that appears twice in this chapter. Not as potent, maybe 50% as effective, but, she can control herself and doesn't have memory loss issues from it. She doesn't have much experience with it though to maximize its effectiveness, her life had been relatively peaceful._

 _(5) Pan knows the basics of most of the events in Dragonball/Dragonball Z/Dragonball Super. However, any really brutal details have been kept from her. Example: Her grandma being turned into an egg and crushed by Majin Buu, things of that nature._


	4. Searches and Truths

_**Potara - Chapter 4: Searching and Truths**_

* * *

Son Goku stepped through the portal and onto the other side, his eyes going wide after he did. "Woaaaaah!"

"Move it Kakarot! You're blocking the way," demanded Vegeta,

"Eh? sorry," answered Goku.

Goku floated up and took the room in. It was huge. Currently, they were at one portal of tons in the room. It started on the far ground, then each level was kind of like a rice plateau. It went up then over a bit, leaving enough room for the portal and to walk. On each level, lining the entire room, were portals set a few feet from eachother. However, that changed in certain areas. To the due north, south, east, and west were breaks in the portals where large hallways lead to other areas. The entire room itself was a giant circle with a large space in the middle.

Goku scratched his head. "Hmm, ten levels of portals huh, with lots per level..."

"I count one hundred per section dived by the hallways, so, there's four hundred portals in this room," said Gohan.

"Tsaaa! That's a lot of portals," exclaimed Goku.

He looked around. "Tch, was wondering if Pan would just be sitting out here."

"Really Kakarot? Things are never that simple," said Vegeta.

"Wait here, I wana go check something," said Goku.

"Wait, dad!" said Gohan.

Goku flew down one of the hallways and then stopped, exclaiming at the top of his lungs, "There's another room of portals!"

Shin appeared next to him, grabbed his shoulder, and teleported him back to the group before giving him a stern look. "The Omni-King does not lie, there must countless dimensions. If you go off on your own, you could get lost forever."

Goku nodded. "Yeah, if every room looks the same and leads to another three hallways to more rooms over and over again then I'd get lost and dizzy real quick."

"Only because you have no sense of direction, clown," chided Vegeta.

"No, I agree, we need to track where we've been somehow," said Gohan.

"Anyone got a marker?" asked Videl.

POP, a marker appeared in Shins hands. "Yes, here."

Videl took it and wrote on the floor in-front of the portal they'd come out of: **HOME**

"Maybe we should put a check mark or small description in front of each portal that we go through so that we know we've been there before?" suggested Videl.

Gohan nodded. "Good thinking, and, if we have to go down the hallways into other rooms, we should draw arrows leading back to this room."

Goku rubbed his hands together. "Hee hee, alright then we got a plan and were set to go! Lets find Pan!"

Shin sighed. "I admire his optimism."

"Lets do this one!" said Goku, stepping into the portal right next to theirs."

"Dad! Wait a-," Gohan began.

Goku went through the portal and almost started floating. "Woah, there is... not much gravity..."

He began to cough and gag. There was almost no air here! The others followed him into the portal and suffered similarly before Shin made a bubble barrier around them.

Gohan rubbed his throat. "I don't think this Planet has much a lot of atmosphere."

Goku looked around. "Lota sand and hills and rocks. I don't see any trees, or even grass."

Shin closed his eyes, a blue glow surrounding him. "I'm not detecting anything but basic life microscopic life on this planet, even that is in small amounts."

"You wont find much here, I recognize this type, we were tasked to blow up useless planets like this all the time back in my youth," said Vegeta.

"I hope Pan didn't end up here," murmured Videl.

"I still dunno why she wasn't just outside our portal," said Goku.

Shin rubbed his chin. "Pan was sucked into the portal before it stabilized. It's likely she was thrown into another world before those rooms were even created."

"Who knows, maybe she'll just walk back out the... waaaaah?" Goku began and exclaimed.

He pointed. "Where's the portal?!"

The group whirled around and looked around.

Shin stepped forward and held his hand out. "It should be..."

He winced momentarily as energy appeared to drain from his hand into thin air. Slowly, the portal they had just came out of appeared.

"Why's it hidden like that? It wasn't in our dimension," asked Goku.

"If I had to guess, it's because our portal fed off two Omni-Kings instead of one. It's probably far stronger than normal ones," said Gohan.

"That's to our advantage," said Vegeta, "It means that Pan is most likely stuck in whatever world she dropped in, so were not searching for a moving target."

"Unless she chances upon it," said Shin, "Look, the portal's fading already. It requires a good chunk of ki to keep it open."

"So, lets go back and..." Goku began.

"No dad, we should give a quick pass of the planet first," said Gohan.

"Why?" asked Goku.

Gohan was silent for a moment before answering, "Just... well, just in case she arrived and... suffocated here."

"Oh," said Goku quietly, hoping that wasn't the case.

"I'll go with Videl," said Shin, "The rest of you make your own barriers and split up to look around, meet back here in an hour."

They nodded and started flying in different directions. Goku flew silently over the planet, keep his eyes open, but thankfully finding nothing. He flew back at the end of the hour and linked up with the others.

"Nothin," said Goku, everyone else saying the same.

"So, lets go back and head to the next..." Goku began.

"Wait! What about other worlds? Or other universes in this dimension?" asked Videl.

Gohan closed his eyes. "Videl, you have a point, but, I think we have to hope that she would only be on the planet the portals on. Otherwise, it would take more than a lifetime to search just one universe, and we'd still probably not find her even if she was in it somewhere."

He crossed his arms. "Statistically, I think our best bet is to do a quick sweep of the worlds we enter like we just did. One hour, keep our eyes peeled and our senses on alert."

"We could miss her that way if her ki is suppressed, or shes sleeping or unconscious," said Vegeta.

Gohan went silent again, thinking. "Well..."

"Gohan is right, the sweep is our best bet. We won't be readily suppressing our ki unless we have a reason to. If she's hiding and feels us, she will come out. I'd imagine our presence would wake her up if she's nearby. If she's unconscious, or dead, well...," said Shin.

"She's not dead!" yelled Videl, "I know it, I just... I can feel it."

Shin half-smiled. "I believe mortal's call it, mother's intuition?"

Videl nodded. "Yeah."

"The chances of her being unconscious when we pass through any given world are statistically small, we'll just have to chance it," said Gohan, "The more world's we check, the more chances we have to find her. So let's go."

* * *

"What part of bedridden don't you understand?" yelled a man's voice.

Pan gave a start and opened her eyes, finding herself on a very uncomfortable bed with a blanket over her. It took her a moment for her to remember what had happened. The slaughter at that ruined town, the super saiyan, and the Kaio-Ken Warriors.

"I'm fine, save the supplies for someone else," came a weary, vaguely familiar voice.

Pan slowly rolled her head towards the voice, sighting one of the warrior's from before, Aideen, sitting on a bed with a man in a ripped up white doctor's coat standing infront of her.

The doctor grabbed her bruised arm, causing her to yelp. "Really? You call that alright? You got the shit kicked out of you by a super saiyan to the point where that little grab from me of all people hurt. Your lucky to be alive. Now lay down and let me do my job."

Aideen sighed and obeyed. "Alright doc, but, I'd rather be helping the others."

Doc began to clean her wounds with a wet dirty towel and then bandage them. "I know, I know. Hell, I want to be out there checking for survivors. Instead, I gotta be in here looking after you and the defense corps."

Aideen sighed. "How's the corps?"

Doc was silent.

Aideen braced herself. "Just hit me doc."

"We lost almost every one guarding the outer towns, the only ones left are those who were guarding Haven," said Doc quietly.

"Son of a bitch!" yelled Aideen in a rage.

Pan closed her eyes and looked away. She didn't understand how that portal she had been sucked into dumped her outside that town, but she knew now more than before that she had been far to late to help. She hadn't even felt fighting in the town, only arriving after mostly everyone was dead. She felt ashamed, Grandpa would have been there quicker, could have saved those two kid's mother.

"Alright, off with the shirt and let me get your ribs," said the doc.

There was a ruffling of clothes, an uncomfortable grumble and the sound of something like tape being wrapped around something. "Alright, put it back on and just lay down for awhile. If you can sleep, good, if not, just lay there for a bit."

"Hey doc, before you go, hows the girl?" asked Aideen.

"Well, our little mystery fighter fared better than you did. Few bruises here and there, especially her stomach area. She's got a thick head, was a nasty bruise on her forehead, doesn't appear to be a fracture or any skull damage though," replied Doc before leaving.

Pan opened her eyes and felt for her stomach. She only winced a little, it didn't feel that bad. She'd had rougher during sparring, well, aside from the spurting blood out the mouth part. THAT had hurt. She reached a hand up and massaged her forehead. It was a little tender, otherwise, she agreed with the guy. She had already recovered well enough in her own opinion, but, decided not to make a ruckus. She didn't want the doctor yelling at her like he did with Aideen.

She stretched out her senses, trying to gain a feel for the area. She could detect maybe a few hundred people scattered around a large, but somewhat nearby area. Outside of that, she could detect a cluster of of small powers, a single medium one, and a larger one, flying back and forth in the distance. She figured the last two were the other two Kaio-Ken warriors.

Otherwise though...

"Hmm," she murmured.

She couldn't feel any other ki signatures the farther and farther out she tried to feel. It made her feel a bit nervous, where were all the other people? Pan didn't know exactly where she was, but, it wasn't normal not to feel people, even when she sometimes flew over deserts and wildernesses. She thought hard, wondering where in the world was she...

Wait a second...

Grandpa's wish! She was in a different dimension! She was in another Omni-King's universe. She frowned, feeling uncertain in more ways that one. She was in another dimension, and she didn't know how she'd be able to get home. There was also the Saiyans. At home, her and Vegeta's family were the only Saiyans. It wasn't the case here.

Even so, why were the Saiyans murdering people? They acted nothing like Grandpa or Vegeta. Pan frowned, brooding for awhile. There was something that the teenager Odianna had said, about 'leaving super saiyans' to her. Did that mean this wasn't the first time? Remembering the children's dulled reactions, did this happen a lot? Pan continued to brood for awhile, not liking the train of thought she was on, not at all.

"Zzzzzzz," came a snore.

Pan broke her thoughts, glanced over and smirked. That lady was one loud snorer. At least she was getting some sleep. Pan's eyes furrowed as she took in the lady, and then the room she was in. She had noted it before, but the lady's clothes were ragged and ripped up. The room was run down and somewhat demolished. She looked at the 'bed' the lady was sleeping on. It was an upside down tub with some metal burned onto it to make a flat surface with a large metal sheet ontop of it. There were a few ripped up blankets between the lady and the sheet. Pan looked at her own bed, it was pretty much the same. There was one other 'bed' of crude construction in the room, aside from these two. In the corner, there was a large bucket of dirty water, and a clothes line of bloody towels. The floor was covered in dust, with many footsteps leading to and from. The ceiling looked cracked and flaky. Was this supposed to be a hospital? This looked like a dump.

She closed her eyes and felt around again. She identified the doctor in a nearby room with a lot of weak, stationary ki signatures. Maybe that was another part of this 'hospital'. Though, why separate the rooms? She thought briefly, there were three beds, and... three Kiao-Ken warriors, maybe this was where those three came specifically when they were hurt. She gave a start when there was a large burst of ki in the distance followed by a brief rattle and tremble in the ground.

"Mmmm, feels like she found another one," murmured Aideen before giving a quiet chuckle, "She should keep it down, some people are trying to sleep here.

Pan glanced over at the lady, seeing her rub her forehead and sigh. The lady glanced over at her, and their eyes met.

"So, up at last I see," said Aideen.

Pan nodded. "Y-yeah."

Aideen smiled faintly. "You got guts for trying to take on a group of saiyans, and then a super saiyan. I'll give you credit for that, though, remembering the first time I did that, Odianna is gonna chew you out for it."

"I couldn't just let those two kids, or you, die," defended Pan.

"I ain't accusin you of anything, I'm thankful," said Aideen, "Just warning you of whats headin your way when she gets back."

"That bad?" asked Pan, sitting up.

"Heh, you have no idea," murmured Aideen.

Aideen gave her a glance over, her gaze resting on Pan's gi, in particular, the turtle hermit symbol. "Hmm."

"What?" asked Pan.

"Well, eh, nevermind. Odianna's got a bunch of questions for you when she gets back, I won't make you repeat yourself," said Aideen, "Can you raise and lower your Ki in three quick bursts? I'd do it myself, but I feel like crap."

"Okay, but why?" asked Pan.

"I told her I'd do it when you woke up," answered Aideen, "Lets her know to head back."

Pan nodded, took in a breath, and tapped fully into her ki. She was a bit surprised, despite the beating she had taken, she felt stronger than she had before. Weird. Her eyebrows furrowed, something about this was familiar, something about Saiyan's and recovery that Grandpa had once mentioned. She shook her head, banished the thought, and raised and lowered her ki three times. The two larger power levels Pan felt immediately stopped and started flying towards the hospital.

She looked at Aideen. "I never got a chance to thank you though, for saving me from the first four people."

Aideen shook her head. "I don't think I'd call Saiyans 'people', but, don't mention it. My duty as third in the corps."

"Third in the corps?" asked Pan.

Aideen raised her eyebrow. "Yeah?"

"What does that mean?" asked Pan.

Aideen winced, trying, and barely succeeding in sitting up. "Umm, third in charge of the defense corpse?"

"Oh, so, whose the second and first? That girl and the guy?" asked Pan.

Aideen gave her an incredulous look. "The hell? You... have no idea who we are, do you? What rock have you been living under?"

Pan went quiet, not sure what to say, and merely bowed her head. She had no idea how she was going to explain herself. She didn't really like lying, and these people had saved her life. Not to mention, Aideen already knew something was off.

Odianna and Aneurin walked in a minute later, the former glared at Aideen, "You should be sleeping, not sitting."

Aideen waved a hand at her. "Thanks 'mom'."

Odianna ignored her and started making for Pan's bed before Aideen spoke. "That girl has no clue who we are."

Odianna stopped momentarily, a confused look on her face, before she banished it and approached Pan. "Your name, now."

"Son Pan," Pan answered.

"A surname, that's not common anymore," said Aneurin.

"Where are you from?" demanded Odianna.

"Mount Paozu," Pan answered.

"Mount what?" asked Odianna.

"Paozu," Pan repeated.

Odianna glanced back at Aneurin. "Never heard of it."

"Me either," he replied.

Odianna began to tap her feet, a bit of anger seeping into her voice. "Your gi, who is the turtle hermit?"

"Master Roshi, my grandpa's teacher," Pan replied, she had a feeling this was going to be rough.

Again Odianna exchanged glances with Aneurin. "Never heard of him, how old is he?"

"Umm, I think he's over a hundred, I don't really know," answered Pan.

"I'm going to say this once, and only once, do not lie to me," warned Odianna.

"I'm not lying!" retorted Pan, crossing her arms.

"Alright then, whose your grandfather? Or the names of any other students of this 'Master Roshi'?" asked Odianna.

"My Grandpa is Son Goku. There's Krillien, Yamcha, and Tien-Shinhan also studied a little under him, I think. Don't really know anyone else," replied Pan.

"I've never heard of any of those names," replied Odianna, her voice growing thin, and a little dangerous, "I've been all over Terra, well before the second and third invasions, and I've never met or heard of a turtle hermit school."

"Terra? Invasions?" asked Pan.

Odianna looked at her, a frown on her face. "..."

"Like I said, it's like she doesn't know anything. I was gonna suggest amnesia, but, she clearly knows stuff," said Aideen, "Just the wrong stuff."

Pan was starting to get a little frustrated before an idea hit her. "Look, can we skip this for now? If this 'Terra' is anything like Earth, do you guys have dragon balls to revive..."

Pan gave a small scream when Odianna grabbed her by her throat and slammed her into the bed. "How do you know about the dragon balls?!"

Aneurin grabbed her shoulder. "Calm down, now."

Slowly, Odianna let go, and gave Pan a death glare. "You have one chance to explain yourself, only one."

Pan trembled, feeling scared of that teenage girl. "W-well, m-my grandpa h-had..."

"Take a breath and calm yourself," ordered Aneurin.

Pan blinked a few times, took a deep breath, and slowly let it out. "My grandpa had just won the second of all-chans, er, the Omni-Kings, universal tournaments..."

"Omni-Kings?"asked Aideen.

"Universal tournament?" asked Aneurin.

"You two, shut up," said Odianna.

Pan was really starting to not like Odianna. She was mean, physical, and rude to everyone around her. What, just because she was stronger than the other two she thought she could boss them around and act like that? Pan wiggled her nose in annoyance before sighing. Whatever...

"For winning the tournament, the Omni-Kings was going to give Grandpa a wish, but, decided to wait because he was gonna be late for a meeting with other Omni-Kings. We didn't know it at the time there were other Omni-Kings who each had their own dimension. Our Omni-Kings said that it wasn't possible to go to other dimensions, but, once we got back to Earth, Grandpa was Grandpa and ended up wishing to for it to be possible to do so. A portal appeared and I got sucked into it and ended up outside a town being attacked by Saiyans," explained Pan.

The three of them stared at her, blank expressions on their faces.

Aneurin was the first to speak, rather than accuse her of lying as Pan thought he would, he asked, "And the first thing you do after coming out of that portal is throw yourself into a fight on behalf of people you don't even know?"

There was a peculiar way the man was looking at her, as if he was waiting for something. "Yes? I thought someone might have needed help."

He half-smiled. "Reminds me of someone we used to know."

Odianna shot him a warning look before returning her gaze to Pan. She held deliberate, forceful eye-contact, and crossed her arms, but said nothing.

"So... am I the only one who thinks that story is full of shit?" asked Aideen with scorn, "For one, the hell is an Omni-King?"

"God of everything, above the kais, grand kai, supreme kais, gods of destruction, and their angel attendants, " said Pan.

"I've never heard of the last three, but, we all know Prince Kai of the north," murmured Aneurin, "And no one outside of us three know of the Grand Kai."

"Aneurin, give the prince a call," murmured Odianna.

"Hey! Prince Kai!" shouted Aneurin towards the ceiling.

Nothing happened.

Aneurin grumbled. "Regal bastard never answers."

 _"Actually, good sir, I always hold an ear in Terra's direction, I was merely enjoying a sip of wine,"_ a voice spoke into their heads.

"Huh, he doesn't sound anything like king kai, does he tell corny jokes?" asked Pan.

 _"Corny jokes? Who is this young miss who would accuse me of such a disdainful pastime? I, young miss, am a gentlemen of the highest quality,"_ replied Prince Kai.

"Hmm, somehow, I like king kai more," muttered Pan, "This one talks to much."

"Yeah he does," muttered Aneurin.

 _"What what what?"_ exclaimed Prince Kai.

"Enough," said Odianna, a vein bulging in annoyance on her forehead, "Prince Kai, do you know of a supreme kai? or a God of destruction?"

There was a cough, as if someone was choking on something, following by a spilling sound and the shattering of glass. _"T-t-the g-g-od of d-d-estruction? Why do you ask?!"_

"To confirm something," replied Odianna, "Though, I'm curious why you've never mentioned a god of destruction before. Sounds strong enough to take on the Saiyans."

 _"Erm... invoking the god of destruction would be as likely to get your own planet destroyed as it t'would be your foes,"_ replied Prince Kai, _"It is a most unwise idea."_

"Do you know what a dimension is?" asked Odianna.

 _"Erm... no, not outside of mathematics and sciences,"_ replied Prince Kai.

Odianna glanced at Pan. "Explain, now."

"Well, we have worlds inside galaxies inside universes. There's multiple universes, all ruled over by one Omni-King, twelve universes and two Omni-Kings in my case. We didn't get that much of an explanation, but, as I understand it, there's more than one cluster of universes, which are separate from one another and ruled over by a different Omni-Kings," explained Pan.

 _"The concept of the universes is true, but, I've never heard of the term dimensions used this way. Not only that, to think, there is more than one Omni-King is something I could not fathom,"_ whispered Prince Kai.

"So, your saying there might be truth in what she's saying then? Can you question this 'Omni-King' about it?" demanded Odianna.

 _"Q-q-q-uestion the Omni-king?! Are you attempting to get me killed?! Absolutely not!"_ replied Prince Kai.

"Useless old coot," said Odianna, "And speaking of which, Prince Kai..."

"WHERE WAS OUR WARNING ON THAT LAST SAIYAN ATTACK?" yelled Odianna.

 _"W-w-ell... we gods aren't supposed to interfere in mortal affairs to begin with...,"_ stammered Prince Kai.

"Don't you give me that crap," said Odianna, "You probably weren't even paying attention!"

There was nothing but silence.

Odianna slowly shook her head. "Don't know why I bother, humans can only count on humans. Our own damn fault for getting complacent, been far to long since the last attack."

Odianna settled her gaze back on Pan. "So, from another dimension. You said... Earth?"

Pan nodded.

"So, were really believing this then?" said Aideen, starting to stand up, "I don't..."

She winced and fell to a knee, "Tss..."

"Seriously, lay down in the damn bed. Your already going to be out of commission for a few weeks, don't make it longer," said Odianna.

Aideen slowly stood up, but didn't lay back down. "I'll walk it off."

"Do you guys have sensu beans?" asked Pan.

Odianna gave her a look of surprise before frowning. "Not anymore, we lost them when Master Papaya died."

"Oh, I'm sorry. This Master Papaya, was he a fat white cat? He sounds like Master Korin," asked Pan.

"'She' was a thin black cat actually," replied Odianna, her voice growing soft for a moment.

"Huh, our worlds seem really similar," said Pan.

She thought for a moment. She had been told universe six was the mirror to their own universe seven. Maybe this dimension was a mirror to their own dimension?

"Since you kind of flipped out earlier about it, you guys have dragon balls?" confirmed Pan.

"Not for the last twenty years since the guardian was murdered," said Odianna angrily.

Pan bowed her head. "Oh."

There was no way to bring the people who had died back. The weight of her failure to help those people in the town began to feel crushing. She had let them die...

"I assume your family will come looking for you at some point," said Odianna dismissively, before turning around.

"You may stay here in Haven until then, but you will have to earn your keep scavenging or working the fields...," began Odianna.

"I want to help fight!" interrupted Pan.

Odianna stopped before turning, a frown on her face. "..."

"Crazy story or not, the girl is strong. If we teach her the Kiao-Ken, she'll be a forced to be reckoned with," said Aideen.

"Is there a point? She will be leaving at some point, and regardless of that, we should not be forcing someone from another world to fight our battles," said Aneurin.

"I want to fight," repeated Pan, "My Grandpa and his friends have always helped out the people of the Earth. It wouldn't be right for me to not help out the people of Terra."

Odianna walked back over and stood in front of Pan. "I don't know what kind of training you've had up to this point, but if we train you, there will be no coddling."

"That's fine," said Pan.

"If an attack comes, you will be expected to fight," continued Odianna, "Except against super saiyans, speaking of which..."

Odianna slapped the back of Pan's head. "What were you thinking trying to take a super saiyan on?! Were you trying to commit suicide?"

"Owww," said Pan, rubbing her head, "I was TRYING to save miss Aideen's life!"

"Pfff, miss," said Aideen, cracking up a bit.

Odianna turned and started to the door. "Well? Let's go."

Pan got off the bed, fell in behind Aideen and Aneurin, and left the hospital.

* * *

 _Trivia:_

 _Terra is another word for Earth._


	5. Secrets of the Fire (Part 1)

_**Potara - Chapter 5: Secrets of the Fire (Part 1)**_

* * *

Pan followed Aneurin, Aideen, and Odianna out of the hospital. She looked around as they walked at this so called 'Haven'. If she had thought the hospital was a dump, it was even worse outside. Buildings were crumbled, there were makeshift huts and tents. There were trashcans on fire that people huddled around for warmth. There were clothes lines hung between broken, tapped together poles. There wasn't even a road, just dirt paths.

Off in the distance on the other side of Haven was a huge, broken tower, behind it a mountain, and embedded into the mountain was...

"Is that the lookout?!" Pan exclaimed, pointing.

Odianna paused, following her finger. "The Lord's Palace, it was knocked out of the sky in the battle that killed the guardian."

"I don't understand, what's with this place... why is everything so... ruined?" asked Pan.

Odianna crossed her arms. "Your world isn't like this?"

Pan shook her head. "No, not at all."

"Well, get used to it, our entire world is like this," said Odianna.

"I take it your world was never invaded by the Saiyans? Do they even exist in your dimension?" asked Aneurin.

Pan thought briefly. "Well, I remember Grandpa telling me about Raditz and Nappa..."

"Those are Saiyan names if I ever heard them. So, I guess then your world has fared better fending off the Saiyan invasions," said Aneurin.

"Well, I think there were only two 'invasions'," said Pan, "The Saiyan's home planet was blown up, not many survived."

The group paused, surprised at her words.

Odianna went between a smirk and a smile before she threw back her head and laughed. "Good! At least the Saiyan scum got what they deserved in someone's world."

Odianna's smile faded, and a brief look of horror replaced it.

She turned, walked forward, and grabbed Pan's shoulder hard, a dangerous look crossing her face. "That means your world is unspoiled, untouched. Pan, you must NEVER mention that your 'Earth' exists to anyone outside the four of us."

Pan winced under her grip. "Well, I dunno about untouched, Grandpa's had to undo a lot of damage with the dragonballs before."

Odianna let go. "So, your dragonballs, and guardian, are still active."

Pan nodded.

"All the more reason to keep it a secret," said Odianna, "The Saiyans can never be allowed to get ahold of the dragonballs. You cannot fathom the damage they could do with them."

Odianna narrowed her eyes. "And if that's not enough of a reason, if the Saiyans ever learned of your Earth, they would stop at nothing to reach it. They'd love to purge humanity a second time."

Pan felt cold. "P-purge?"

Odianna held out her hands to her side, gesturing into the distance. "Aside from a few hermits here and there, those in Haven are all thats left of humanity. Everyone else has been killed."

Pan's eyes went wide with horror. "W-what?!"

Aneurian spoke quietly, "Forty years Pan, the first invasion was roughly forty years ago. The saiyans have invaded us again and again since then. It's rare to go more than a month without at least a raiding party hitting us. It's why we were so unprepared, it's been strange, this attack was the first in over a year."

Pan couldn't find anything to say. She could hardly breath, her body trembled, first with sadness, then with anger.

"If Grandpa were here, he'd stop them all," she muttered.

"Hmph, you have a rather bold opinion of him," said Odianna.

"He's the strongest in the world! Way stronger than that super saiyan you beat, and even stronger than you," rebutted Pan, not liking Odianna's tone.

"Pan...," Odianna began.

"He would stop them, he..." Pan kept going.

"PAN!" shouted Odianna.

Pan went silent at her outburst.

"I do not care how strong your grandfather is or isn't, it doesn't matter," said Odianna.

"Your family and friends are not here, the only ones that can actually fight are the three of us, and maybe you if you can get your act together," said Odianna, "You cannot count on outside help."

It hit her, what she meant. Pan trembled a bit, and gulped, a bead of sweat rolling down her forehead. Grandpa, dad, Vegeta, Trunks, Goten, 18, all the others, they couldn't help. She couldn't count on them to save her if she was in danger. If... if she died here, without dragonballs, then it was over. She'd die, go to this universe's otherworld, and never see her family again.

"You still so eager to fight?" asked Odianna, almost a taunt.

If these people could fight like that, without dragonballs, then... then she couldn't forgive herself for not doing the same. "Yes."

Without another word, the group resumed walking. Pan took in the rest of Haven, and its people as they moved. She noted a difference pretty quickly between the older survivors and the younger ones that was heartbreaking to see. The older ones looked crushed, not an ounce of hope in their eyes. The younger ones still moved about with some fire in their eyes, as if it hadn't been snuffed out. Some though looked like they were starting to feel it.

Pan couldn't imagine what it had to be like to have lived like this. To have lost so many friends and family, to have been driven down to only a few hundred people left alive. She could remember the last time she had flown around Earth, feeling the huge clusters of people in the big cities. She had taken that for granted. It just... the world felt empty with so few. She clenched her fists, she'd do whatever it takes to help them out. No one deserved to live like this.

They left Haven and moved onto a leveled, barren dirty area a ways outside of it. Odianna raised and lowered her ki a couple of times. Pan felt all the small ki signatures flying around stop and head their way. Within half an hour, what was left of Terra's defense corps gathered in front of them, and Pan felt horrified.

"They're just kids..." she whispered.

Not a single one of them looked older than Odianna did. They were all worse for the wear, bruised and roughed up.

"Everyone's given a choice of how they pull their weight," said Aideen, giving Pan a look of disapproval, "Some farm, some scavenge, some repair. These ones, like I did, chose to try and fight, and for the record, your just a kid yourself."

Odianna stepped forward and spoke to the corps, "Alright, were doubling up on training after that last attack. We got hit when we weren't ready and lost far to many people. We can't afford that to happen again, nor for you to be weak. Pick a partner, start sparing, and I don't want to hear anything about you still being tired from that attack, tough it out."

Pan watched them all spread out before she nearly doubled over in shock as they all used the Kaio-Ken and started fighting. "Woah..."

"You seem easily impressed, most can't go beyond a times three, if they can do that at all, despite since training from the age of five," said Odianna, "Let's not even talk about duration."

"Jezz, don't need to bring them down," chided Pan.

"I'm not, I'm simply stating facts," said Odianna.

Pan worked to hide how impressed she was, attaining a passive looking face. Grandpa had told her this technique was hard to use. Even if they had been training since such a young age, it was still praiseworthy. Grandpa probably would have freaked out.

"Aneurin, go start coaching the corps," said Odianna.

Odianna turned to Aideen, then pointed at Pan, "Get her started."

Pan frowned. "But she's all bruised up, she can't fight like that."

Odianna raised an eyebrow. "Fight? You think your going to be fighting with the Kaio-Ken on day one? You have to attain near perfect ki control, and the right state of mind, before you can even think of using it. You Pan, are going to be meditating and working on your ki for at least a month."

"Wha?!" Pan exclaimed.

Odianna turned around. "I'm going back to patrolling. I already found one bastard hiding out, there could be more."

With that, she flew off.

Pan crossed her arms. "A month? No way, I'm my grandpa's granddaughter, there's no way it'll take me that long, I bet i'll have it at the end of the day!"

Aideen smirked at her. "Good luck with that, now, sit down and start meditating."

Pan grumbled to herself before complying, well, somewhat. She kept one eye half open and her senses aware, watching the corps spar. She took careful note of how their bodies felt with the Kaio-Ken active...

"Hey! I wasn't born yesterday, your not paying attention to your meditation," chided Aideen.

"I know how to meditate, Piccolo taught me" said Pan.

"That so?" asked Aideen skeptically.

"Yeah, and you know, he doesn't really sleep, he just meditates," said Pan.

Aideen raised an eyebrow. "Well, I don't know if he did a good job teaching you then, cuz that first attempt was weak. How about you show me a real meditation. Hold it for half an hour without getting distracted."

Pan crossed her legs, crossed her arms, and crunched a little bit. "Hmph."

She DID know how to meditate, but, she had to admit, not getting distracted or ancy for long periods of time was hard. When she was younger, before having to go to school all the time, she could meditate for hours. She smiled, ah, the blissful age of four, getting ready for her first martial arts tournament... wait a second... no daydreaming!

She took a deep breath, cleared her mind, and started levitating a little bit. She thought she heard Aideen say something, but droned her, and the sounds of fighting, out. This wasn't a game, or just for fun, she HAD to do this right and prove she could. Odianna said they got hit frequently, at least once a month. She had to be well into fighting with kaio-ken before then.

...

...

...

p...

pa...

"PAN!" a voice shouted in her ear.

Pan gave a yelp and fell on her butt. "What?"

Aideen stepped back. "Unless you want to keep going for another hour, you can stop."

Pan blanked for a moment. "Hour?"

Aideen nodded. "I decided to let you keep going at the thirty minute mark."

Pan gave her an annoyed look.

Aideen crossed her arms, an almost jealous look crossing her face. "I'll admit, you have a good hang of meditation, took me a long time to reach that level. We can work on ki control for a bit before sunset."

Pan stood up. "I can control my ki."

"A bit sure, I've seen you raise and spike it back at the town. Do you know how to suppress your ki?" asked Aideen.

Pan did so.

"How about flying?" asked Aideen.

Pan flew off the ground and did a circle around the training grounds before landing.

"Damn," muttered Aideen.

"Alright then, hey Aneurin! Get the hell over here," shouted Aideen.

"I want to see how you defend," explained Aideen after Aneurin walked over, "Using the Kaio-Ken requires a continuous near perfect control over all over your ki. If you lose control when you take a hit, then your Kaio-Ken will hurt you worse than your opponent. Just focus on defense, don't let your ki get out of control, and don't fight back."

Pan nodded and braced herself, adopting the stance her grandpa had first taught her. She shifted her body side-ways then half crouched, one arm raised in the air behind her, the other held out in front of her towards the ground near her knee.

Aideen watched silently, suddenly looking very serious. "..."

"Interesting stance, she's definitely had martial art's training, must be turtle hermit style I guess, " murmured Aneurin.

Pan blanked for a moment. Now that she thought of it, she had never asked Grandpa what style this was. She didn't know if it was turtle hermit or not. Instantly Aneurin rushed her, taking a swipe at her face. Pan panicked and barely managed to raise an arm to block. Aneurin swept her legs out from under her, grabbed her arm, swung her overhead, and slammed her into the ground. She laid there, stunned for a moment before she recovered.

Pan's cheeks burned with shame. Grandpa would have laughed at that piss poor start. Pan rose to her feet, retook the stance, and waited, this time not letting a thought distract her. Aneurin came at her again, this time with a flurry of blows. Pan blocked each one, falling back with each block to keep distance and not let him overtake her. He aimed a kick towards her stomach, she raised a knee to block. He aimed a chop towards her head, she raised an arm to glance it off.

He continued attacking for a few minutes, and Pan made sure not to let him land a single blow. Though, she did know he was going easy on her, he wasn't using the kaio-ken after all. She studied him as he attacked, a lot of his blows were very quick and light without any real stopping power followed by a heavy attack towards a spot where her defenses appeared weak. She also noticed he tried to trip her up a lot and shift her limbs out of the way with his lighter attacks. She assumed if she was attacking, he'd be trying to glance her attacks off him and leave her open to a counter. His style seemed to be about quickly overwhelming or unbalancing his opponent, followed by a single heavy knockout hit. It was unassuming at first, and could be devastating if unchecked.

"Alright, that's enough," called out Aideen.

"Yeeesh, I guess your grandpa must really be a good teacher, your way farther along than you should be," said Aideen, "Most of the corps at your age panic and focus all their defense and energy towards where they are going to be hit as a natural response, leaving the energy in their body unbalanced. You did good to maintain control."

Pan stepped pass Aneurin and beamed with pride. "Yep, my grandpa is the best!"

She gave a yelp when Aneurin suddenly tripped her to the ground from behind. "Seems he didn't teach you to not let your guard down."

Pan scowled and rose to her feet. "I thought we were done."

"A saiyan isn't beaten until they are dead, and if you think otherwise, they will come back and kill you." warned Aneurin.

Aideen walked over to Aneurin. "So, where should we go from here?"

"As you said, she's ahead, perhaps we should just go to the end stages of ki control?" asked Aneurin.

"Why don't you just show me how to use it?" asked Pan.

Aideen gave her a look. "What do you think were doing? Pan, everything about the Kaio-Ken is about controlling yourself and your energy."

Aideen stepped forward. "I want you to power up a little and grab ahold of all your ki, every ounce of it in your body. Don't do anything with it, just focus on being aware of it, and keeping a hand on it. Got it?"

Pan nodded and clenched her fists, going quarter power. She closed her eyes, focusing her senses on her own body, grasping for each ounce of power flowing through it. She frowned, feeling strands of strength escape her grip. She began to scowl, trying to keep everything in tight order was annoying. For a brief moment, she held perfect control. She smiled, grew excited, and then completely lost her grip the moment she did.

"Grrrrrr!" Pan growled.

"You can't let anything break your concentration Pan," warned Aneurin, "Losing control at a critical moment when using the Kaio-Ken, say, when charging a ki attack for example, could obliterate your body."

Pan nodded and resumed trying to maintain control. Her eyes briefly flickered to the few of the corps that weren't resting and were still sparring. When they used the kaio-ken, all the ki in their body went up, their entire body's shifted red at once. Hmmm... so that explained why they were having her control it all at once. Whatever she had to do to actually use the Kaio-Ken required her to do it to her entire body at once.

"Just focus on doing that for an hour Pan," said Aideen, "Then we'll go to the next step."

Pan obeyed, narrowing her eyes, and one-hundred percent focused on reigning in every little flick of energy that dared get out of line. It felt really weird in a way. This was nothing like gathering energy for an attack. Just holding everything perfectly aligned, and waiting, made her ancy. She frowned, that was the point of this though, she couldn't feel ancy or it probably wouldn't work.

Pan struggled with it for an hour, only managing to maintain perfect control in brief moments, much to her chagrin.

"So, we finally found something she's stuck on," said Aideen, "Do it for another hour."

"I can figure it out later, show me whats next and..." Pan began.

"Pan, you are being way to overeager, there is no skipping ahead for this," said Aneurin,

Pan grumbled to herself before resuming. Two hours later, her temper was starting to flare. It was frustrating to admit she had been wrong, there was no way she was going to get this by the end of the day. The more frustrated she got, the harder it was to keep ahold of her strength.

"Relax your power and take a break Pan," said Aideen finally.

"No, I'm going to get this down," Pan shot back.

"It's not a matter of 'getting it down'," said Aneurin, "It's not the same as learning a technique then perfecting it over time. Your body had to adapt and get used to your ki being used this way. It's not something that happens quickly."

She grumbled a bit before powering down and asking, "Can you at least tell me the steps were going to go through? Gotta have a goal to aim for."

"Well, since your already this far, there's only a few more to go, but, they are the hardest. You have to finish mastering controlling all your ki. Then, you have to learn to be able to attain that controlled state on demand with a moments notice, no slowly gaining that state over time. Next comes fighting while maintaining that control. Finally, you have to learn to actually amplify your ki and use the Kaio-Ken, after that, you learn how to maintain and fight with the Kaio-Ken, the final step is learning how to increase the levels of your Kaio-Ken," said Aneurin.

He crossed his arms. "And before you get any ideas, were not going to tell you how to actually use the Kaio-Ken until we think your ready to, we've seen enough recruits die by getting ahead of themselves and trying when they clearly weren't ready."

Pan gave a start. "Die?"

Aneurin narrowed his eyes. "Have you only been half-listening? Every time we have warned about the Kaio-Ken being able to destroy your body, we've been dead serious. More than half of the recruits usually fail to graduate. Most simply can't attain the control they need. Others who blunder ahead kill themselves with the technique the first time they try to use it. They usually overdo it and their muscles literally explode. If they don't outright die, then they are crippled for the rest of their lives. Judging by that overeager look you had on earlier, if we had told you how to do it, you would have instantly tried and killed yourself. And that, is exactly why we don't reveal how to do it until a recruit is ready anymore."

Pan's face paled. "O-oh..."

Aneurin walked over and put a hand on her shoulder. "When we think your ready, we will teach you the Kaio-Ken. Now, go take a break."

Pan nodded, walked a bit away, and then sat down. Stupid stupid stupid! Aneurin was right, she was ignoring how dangerous this could be. She glanced over at the defense corps, it was horrible to imagine, thinking of their bodies exploding, and them dying, simply from training to use a technique. She closed her eyes, painfully wondering how many had died trying to attain the strength they needed to defend their world.

For a brief moment, she wanted to just leave this world and go back home. This whole experience was getting more awful the more time that passed. She blinked and scolded herself, these people needed her! She couldn't just stop now. Not that she could anyway even if she wanted to.

She laid on the ground, putting her arms behind her head. Hmm...

Pan gave a start sometime later when water splashed over her face. "How long are you going to sit there and doze?"

Pan glanced up, seeing Odianna standing over her. Pan glanced around, seeing the corps and left and the sun was starting to get a little low.

She stood up and mumbled. "Sorry."

Odianna moved a way. "I've been told your quite skilled."

Odianna stopped moving, turning, and stared at her. "Show me, go full power."

Pan blinked a few times before nodding, she half crouched and began to raise her power. "Haaaaaaaaaaaaaa!"

The ground cracked a little under her feet, pebbles raising up into the air until she finished.

"Hmph, not bad I suppose," said Odianna.

"She's stronger than we were at that age by far," Aneurin called over.

"So?" Odianna called back, "Until she can use the Kaio-Ken she's dead weight."

Pan narrowed her eyes. "I bet I could beat you if you didn't use the Kaio-Ken."

Odianna crossed her arms. "What your saying is if I held back then you could win. Even IF that's true, so what? The Saiyans could do the same."

She smirked. "Though, when your fighting saiyans, don't hesitate to issue them challenges like that if your losing. The majority of Saiyans are stupid brutes. I won many fights in the early invasions simply because Saiyans will handicap themselves for a challenge, especially when fighting woman because they default to thinking we're weaker."

She turned her head in spit. "If you ever hear a saiyan say 'I'll give you one free hit', please kill them."

She grinned savagely. "There's very few things more satisfying than using a saiyan's arrogance against them, aside from torturing and killing them of course."

Pan hesitated, really not liking that gleeful tone she was hearing. "Okay...whatever..."

Odianna grew serious. "You will listen when I'm teaching you."

Pan blinked a few times. "Teaching?"

"Going into battle against the Saiyan race isn't just about overpowering and beating them into the ground. The proper mindset, and knowledge of how to abuse their weaknesses, goes a long way," explained Odianna.

"Their arrogance is generally a critical weakness to exploit, not just in regards to challenges, but to their entire fighting style. When Saiyan's think they're winning, they grow sloppy, instead of just winning, they toy with their opponent," she continued.

"That super saiyan this morning could have easily killed you, Aideen, and Aneurin before I got even half way there. Instead, he screwed around and picked you apart one by one, I imagine he mocked you the entire time, or at least for part of it," said Odianna.

Her eyes narrowed. "However, that isn't always the case. Very few saiyans are capable of controlling their arrogance to the point where it doesn't distract from their performance. The ones that do are exceptionally deadly. In my experience, that only happens with their so called 'super elites', and first time super saiyans and ascended super saiyans. The latter two are only because they are one hundred percent focused on killing you, though, if the battle lasts long enough, that bloodlust will weaken to the point where their arrogance can influence them again."

Pan frowned. "Ascended super saiyans?"

Odianna grew deadly serious. "What you saw this morning was a novice super saiyan. I don't think he mastered the state, or that bulky muscle form. There is another level, so far beyond the powers of a normal super saiyan, I've only encountered it a few times. If you ever see a super saiyan with lightning sparking over their body with super spiky hair, I'll be blunt, unless I'm there your dead."

Oh, she was talking about super saiyan 2, but wait a second...

"Your Kaio-Ken times fifty... it wouldn't be strong enough to fight that," said Pan.

"Your point?" asked Odianna.

"Then... how could you win against that power?" asked Pan.

Odianna frowned, looking rather uncomfortable. "None of your business."

Odianna turned around. "Power down and go with them to get something to eat."

"Wait, wait a second," said Pan.

Odianna ignored her and flew off. Pan stood there, feeling incredulous. There was no way she could match a super saiyan 2 with the Kaio-Ken. Even if she could somehow go times one-hundred, ridiculous as the thought was, Pan didn't think it wouldn't be enough.

Pan turned and asked, "Just how high can she push the Kaio-Ken?"

Aneurin frowned. "She doesn't go above fifty, says it gets too unstable to control the further up you go."

"Then how could she win?" Pan asked.

Aneurin crossed his arms. "She didn't win, not the first time. While she fought, and by fought, I mean got the crap kicked out of her, I began charging the ultimate technique and used it to kill the first ascended super saiyan."

"Ultimate technique?" asked Pan.

Aneurin nodded. "It calls upon the energy of all living things on the planet in order to create a massive ball of pure energy. It's called the spirit bomb."

Oh, wow! They knew how to use the spirit bomb?

Aneurin sighed. "There's wasn't enough living things left on this world to use it anymore after that. Humanity was nearly finished off during that one battle between Odianna and the ascended super saiyan."

"Oh," Pan said quietly.

"But, she's fought a few ascended super saiyans, right? How'd she manage to win?" asked Pan.

An ill look crossed Aideen's face. "She found a way."

The woman ignored Pan's questioning look and slowly shook her head. "Let's just go eat Pan."

Pan slowly let herself power down before taking off with them. The thought nagged her, how could Odianna match the power of a super saiyan 2, and why did both her and Aideen look so uneasy about it?

* * *

 _Trivia:_

 _(1) The stance I was trying to describe Pan using was the one Goku used VS Vegeta in the Saiyan saga. IDK if I described it that well._


	6. Secrets of the Fire (Part 2)

**_Potara - Chapter 6: Secrets of the Fire (Part 2)_**

* * *

 _One week later..._

"Heeeeya!" yelled Pan, aiming a kick for Aideen's midsection.

The woman blocked and countered, slamming an open palm into Pan's forehead. Pan used the impact to flip upside down and then drive both of her feet into Aideen's chin. She gave a yelp, staggered back a few feet, then fell on her butt.

Aideen massaged her chin before grinning. "Good hit."

Pan grinned back. "Thanks.

"You still lost a little control of your ki when I hit your head though," said Aideen.

Pan scowled. "Well, that's what happens when your brain gets scrambled."

They both smirked before Aideen motioned her away. "Alright, go take a break."

Pan moved a bit away before laying down and putting her hands under her head. She ought to be happy that she had made it this far in just a week, but, she still felt like she was going too slow. She could attain the required controlled state of ki on demand now. However, she still hadn't been able to maintain perfect control during an actual fight. Ah well, she'd get it soon enough, it was just, grrrrr, she was so close to the next step! She knew she shouldn't be so ancy for it, but oh how she craved to finally learn the Kaio-Ken.

Pan glanced over at Aideen, watching the woman stretch. She had started sparing with Pan yesterday, taking over for Aneurin. Pan had been surprised with how quickly the woman had managed to recover and start sparring with those injuries. Aideen had joked that while she was no saiyan, her body had gotten used to getting the tar kicked out of it so she never stayed down long. Aideen fought similarly to Aneurin, but, her fighting form was a bit less refined, Pan figured it was an age and experience gap that did it. Though, the woman made up for it with raw power and determination.

Pan frowned. She had lived and breathed this training for the last week, doing basically nothing but it and eating and sleeping. She still knew so little of Aideen or Aneurin, forget about Odianna, she barely saw her. Whenever Pan tried to get to know them a little bit, she was told to focus on her training, or go on a break, or go eat, or go to sleep. She pouted a little to herself, if she had to guess, they didn't trust her yet despite how much she devoted herself to their training.

Speaking of Odianna, Pan felt the teenager heading their way. Pan was still rather perplexed with her, she still had no idea how the girl could match a super saiyan 2. What's more, Pan had taken note of how she bossed everyone around, and they listened to her no questions asked, as if she were the one in charge. Pan hadn't ever asked, and had just assumed, but, she was starting to believe that Odianna was the one who was in charge of the defense corps, not the far older Aneurin.

Pan frowned, watching Odianna land and start speaking with Aideen. The way the Aideen always immediately gave Odianna her uttermost attention and respect, aside from a joke or two here and there, perplexed Pan. Was it just because she was so powerful compared to everyone else? Well... then again, Pan had watched Odianna spar with Aneurin once, the teenager DID rival Aneurin's skill. Not to mention, she was extremely knowledgeable about Saiyans. It was curious, ignoring the question of matching a super saiyan 2, how WAS Odianna that strong and skilled for what Pan thought was sixteen years old? There was a gigantic power difference between the times twenty five Pan had seen Aideen use, and the times fifty Odianna used. Not to mention, Aideen had been in pain using the times twenty five, Odianna had used the times fifty without any visible difficulty, it made no sense.

"Pan, get the hell over here!" yelled Aideen.

Pan smirked and rose to her feet. Aideen liked to swear a lot, if Pan had a mouth like hers, grandma woulda washed it out with soap hundreds of times by now.

Odianna frowned at Aideen after Pan walked over. "Are you sure?"

Aideen nodded. "Yeah, she's pretty much got it down, I think she's ready for the final test."

Pan's eyes went wide before she immediately refocused. No gleeful shouts or excitement allowed! Otherwise they might decide to hold her back.

Odianna shrugged. "Alright, we'll see then, wont we? Back up and give the me and Pan some space."

Pan frowned, she was going to be sparring with Odianna?

Odianna moved a bit away from Pan. "Go full power."

Pan nodded and began to power up. "Haaaaaaaaaaaaa!"

Odianna nodded slowly. "Well well well, you've had quite the increase in strength since you began this last week."

Odianna narrowed her eyes. "Kaio-Ken times ten!"

Pan blinked a few times, feeling the teenager's power skyrocket. "Uh... that's kind of overkill... don't you think?"

"Hmph, your final test of ki control is fighting against a far stronger opponent. It's all well and good if you can fight evenly against an opponent of equal skill, but, if the first time a stronger foe comes along and you lose control, then all the training you've went through would be worthless," said Odianna.

Well, she had a point. "Makes sense."

"As a warning, this is going to hurt," said Odianna.

Pan took on her grandpa's fighting stance and braced herself. She figured that if Odianna was the leader here, it was on her word alone that would give Pan permission to learn the Kaio-Ken. She had to do this right, she would not tolerate her body and ki disobeying her now.

Odianna surged at Pan, a streak of red across the training field. Pan barely managed to get an knee up in time to block a devastating gut punch. She ground her teeth, fighting the urge to cringe. Her knee felt like it was on fire. Odianna spun and lashed out with a leg, slamming it into Pan's side and sending her skidding and tumbling across the ground. Pan pushed up off the ground and threw herself into the air. Odianna was upon her again, throwing a flurry of blows. Unable to keep up with her speed, Pan had to pick and choose which blows to block and which ones to take.

"Hraaa!" roared Odianna, slamming a double handed fist into Pan's shoulder.

Pan gave a cry of pain and plummeted to the ground, leaving a small crater where she hit.

Pan winced, struggling to rise to her feet. "Oh man, I'm going to be feeling that one tomorrow."

The sound of the Kaio-Ken streaking across the distance snapped Pan to attention. She threw herself out of the crater a moment before Odianna drove her fist into the ground where Pan had just been. Pan flew back a bit, trying to gain some distance and time to breath. Jezz, did Odianna understand the concept of taking it easy? She was being as viscous against Pan as she had been against the super saiyan.

Odianna surged out of the crater and closed to distance before Pan could react and slammed a fist into Pan's gut. Pan doubled over, puking up a bit of blood, and clutched her stomach. D-d-damn...

Odianna slammed a leg into Pan's side and sent her sprawling to the ground. Pan laid their cringing, struggling not to cry out and scream. Everything was hurting. She couldn't help but give a cry when Odianna kicked her up into the air and then flew up, letting into her with a flurry of blows that Pan had become to slow to block. With a swat, Odianna backhanded Pan to the ground. Pan laid there, unable to bring herself to move.

She took a few wheezing breaths and slowly managed to sit up, cradling her stomach. "Oww."

"You'll live, stop whining," said Odianna, floating a bit above Pan.

Pan glared up at her. "I'm not whining!"

"Then get up and fight," ordered Odianna.

Pan took a breath, grabbed what ki she had left, and rushed up at Odianna, swinging a right hook. Odianna easily dodged before taking her leg and kicking towards...

Pan gave a yelp of surprise and nearly lost control of her ki as it hit her breast area and sent her flying. "H-hey! Watch where you hit a lady!"

Odianna scoffed. "Seriously? A saiyan wont give a crap where they hit you. They'll take any cheap shot they can get. In fact..."

Odianna surged at her and kicked right between Pan's legs. Pan gave a cry of surprise, horrific pain, and rage, only to be cut off when Odianna grabbed Pan's head, surged towards the ground, and slammed her into it. Pan's ki faded and she nearly blacked out. She laid there, twitching, slowly curling into a ball and crying.

"Pff, pitiful," muttered Odianna.

"The hell was that? Don't you think that was a little rough?" called over Aideen.

"No," Odianna called back.

Odianna powered down and walked over, aiming a hand at Pan. Pan felt energy begin to enter her body, and a minute later she slowly sat up, still feeling the hurt all over her body, especially in one certain area.

"If your done, sitting around..." Odianna began.

Pan surged to her feet and into the air, driving a fist right into Odianna's face, sending the teenager to the ground. "You asshole!"

Odianna laughed and rose to her feet. "You need to work on your stopping power, I had my guard down and I barely felt that."

Pan clenched her fists, trying so hard not to give into the goading and let into Odianna with everything she had.

Odianna studied her briefly. "Are your done with your hissy fit, or do you not want to start learning the Kaio-Ken?"

Pan blanked for a moment. "I... passed?"

Odianna nodded curtly. "To a degree, you lost it at the end, but, no one, not me, not Aideen, and especially not Aneurin, keeps perfect control after taking a hit there."

"Well, some of us have something a bit more vulnerable in that area," said Aneurin dryly.

Odianna smirked in his direction.

Pan scowled. "It's still an honor-less move."

Odianna refocused on Pan. "Honor? Pan, there IS no honor when fighting saiyans. It's kill or be killed. You should readily expect them to 'fight dirty', and should do the same when you get the opportunity."

Pan frowned, not liking being told to fight like that. "Noted..."

"Now, Aideen will guide you in using the Kaio-Ken. Even after she's explained it, wait until you've had a chance to rest and eat lunch before you use it," said Odianna.

Odianna moved away, but rather than fly off as she usually did, she sat down and kept an eye on them.

"Alright Pan, I'm going to activate the Kaio-Ken slowly, and I want you to tell me what I'm doing," ordered Aideen.

Pan nodded as Aideen's ki began to focus. "You're controlling all of your ki at once. I can see, I can feel the focus in your mind."

Aideen's body ignited red.

Pan frowned. "You're… ki increased, I can't really figure out why."

Aideen powered down. "The Kaio-Ken doesn't just require perfectly controlled ki. It also requires a union and balance of body and mind. I'm going to use and hold the Kaio-Ken, tell me what you sense."

Pan watched the woman ignite herself with the Kaio-Ken and maintain it. "Your power is… slowly dropping."

Aideen nodded. "The Kaio-Ken isn't just dangerous because you can kill you if you mess up, it's also rough on your body and burns stamina. I'm not even training or fighting and I'm still slowly losing power. That's why it's usually supposed to only be used in short bursts."

"Okay, but, I remember you were maintaining it against the super saiyan last week," said Pan.

Aideen scowled. "That's because I couldn't trust myself to activate the Kaio-Ken at the right time to defend myself. I had to maintain it because if I was hit at any point without the Kaio-Ken up, the super saiyan would have killed me."

Aideen dropped the Kaio-Ken, a bead of sweat rolling down her face. "Now, why do you think it's rough on your body?"

Pan tried to think it over. "Well, because of the pressure of all that ki you don't normally have?"

Aideen shook her head. "But you do have it, just not as normal ki."

"I… don't get it," Pan admitted.

"Mind AND body Pan," asked Aideen.

Pan frowned, still not getting it.

"Your body is drained because the kaio-ken is using your body as a source of energy along with your ki," explained Aideen, "Think of it this way. When you're using the Kaio-Ken, you're powering up twice, not just your ki, but your actual body as well."

Pan blinked a few times. "How isn't that the same thing as raising your ki to strengthen your body?"

"When raising your ki, your just reinforcing your body with your life energy, this is actually empowering it," said Aideen, "It's why your senses become so heightened with the Kaio-Ken. Its front loading energy into your entire body. In a sense, you are temporarily overloading yourself. When you use the Kaio-Ken, you are amplifying both your ki and your body as one."

"Hmm," mumbled Pan.

She had always treated her body as a vessel for her ki. Train herself to increase her ki and her body would naturally grow stronger as a side effect. That wasn't the right way for this though. Pan faintly smiled, at last, at last she thought she had it.

The Kaio-Ken was a balance. If you raised your ki too much, your body couldn't handle it and would pop. If you're powered up your body too much, you wouldn't have enough ki to maintain nor fill it. If your mind wasn't focused enough to control your body, or your body was too wild for your mind to handle, it would break down. If you tried to use your ki alone, you would just be powering up normally, if you just used your body's energy, you'd burn through without much effect and tire yourself out. But, if you used everything together at once…

Aideen looked her over. "So, think you've got it?"

Pan nodded. "Yeah."

"Alright then, lets go get some grub, then we'll see what you can…," Aideen began.

Pan pushed away her pain and half crouched. "Haaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!"

Pan grabbed a hold of all of her energy, and focused her consciousness on her entire body. She yanked energy from her body and her ki to spread through her body. She began to shiver, feeling her insides ignite with energy. Her muscles quivered and tensed, expanding a little bit. A red tint began to emanate from her body.

With a furious cry, Pan screamed, "KAIO-KEN!"

WOOOOSH! The fiery red aura coated Pan's body. It felt… oh man… it felt like every part of her body was so alive right now. She way hyper aware of everything. Sounds, smells, seeing further and in more detail. It was crazy! Her strength had shot up, doubling what her wounded power had been before.

In an instant though, she lost it. The red aura faded and she staggered forward, falling to a knee, and wheezing as exhaustion took over.

"Whew...," Pan gasped out.

"Idiot!" yelled Odianna, "You trying to kill yourself by using it in that state?"

Pan gave her a tired, foul look. "I did it… didn't I?"

Odianna walked over and stood above her, she smirked a mischievous smirk and raised a hand. "Yeah, you did, now let me show you why that was dumb though."

SMACK, Odianna slapped a hand onto Pan's shoulder.

Pan doubled over and screamed in agony. IT HURT IT HURT IT HURT! She slammed her head into the ground and groaned.

"Using the Kaio-Ken when you're tired and wounded is only a necessity when you're fighting to the death, once you reach that point it's do or die, you have to kill your opponent, otherwise, you end up like this," said Odianna.

Pan shivered and slowly sat up. "Owwwwww."

"Your done training for the day, go eat and rest," said Odianna, "Tomorrow you begin fighting with it."

If she had the strength to, Pan would have groaned. It wasn't even noon and she'd have to spend the rest of the day resting? Ugh… what a waste.

Aideen walked over, turned around and knelt down. "Grab on, I'll fly you back."

Pan weakly wrapped her arms around Aideen's neck and hung on as the woman flew her back to Haven. Pan lost focus, losing awareness of where she was. She was vaguely aware of being laid down and a blanket being put over her. She laid there, feeling dizzy and exhausted, until she finally passed out.

* * *

 _Trivia:_

 _(1) In-case you were wondering, multi-part chapters wont have that initial intro text to the chapter._

 _(2) I could never find a good explanation of how the Kaio-Ken actually works, so I took a few liberties._


	7. Innocence Lost

_**Potara - Chapter 7: Innocence lost**_

* * *

Pan slowly became aware of people talking.

"...ow much longer you think she'll be out?" a woman's voice said.

"Well, she wasn't hurt as bad as your first time," said a man's voice, "But if your expecting her to be back up after one day, your crazy."

Pan's hands twitched, the voices seemed familiar.

"Tch, Odianna really laid it on her, that last smack overdid it," said the woman, "And what the hell! I told you not to bring that up EVER again."

Pan half opened her eyes. She was in the Haven hospital. Aideen and Aneurin were sitting on another bed facing the exit. Pan frowned, wait, they had said she was out for a day? She scowled, more training time wasted. She was hesitant to try to move though, she had a feeling the moment she did there would be a lot of pain.

"Well, maybe we should use you as an example so she doesn't make the same mistake," said Aneurin with a teasing tone.

"Don't you dare," warned Aideen.

"Hmm, how long were you out for again after you botched your first time using the Kaio-Ken?" said Aneurin.

"I'm going to punch you," warned Aideen.

"Hmm, I think it was... a week out cold, then three months bedridden, right?" asked Aneurin.

WHAM. Aideen knocked him to the ground with a punch. Aneurin took it in stride, a smirk on his face.

"Asshole," muttered Aideen.

Aneurin rose to his feet and dusted himself off. "Anyway, I'm going to go help with the fields for a bit."

Pan closed her eyes when she saw Aideen start to turn towards her. Plop plop plop, she heard the woman walk closer.

Aideen sighed. "Dammit, seeing you like this reminds me of my own stupid self. Forget the saiyans, I put myself in here more times then they ever did."

Pan felt a little embarrassed when she suddenly felt Aideen ruffling her hair. "Get better soon Pan."

She couldn't help but open her eyes in surprise when Aideen kissed her forehead. Aideen pulled back, a sad look on her face, before she noticed Pan was awake. Immediately her face turned red.

"Uh..." Aideen began.

Pan's decided to divert the subject. "Were you really out for three months?"

Aideen immediately scowled. "I'm going to kill that man."

Pan giggled a little bit before coughing and rubbing her throat.

"I'll get you some water," said Aideen, leaving the room.

Pan watched her go, smiling a little. Aideen came off as a gruff potty-mouth hard-ass at times, but, she was sweet and caring underneath. Kind of reminded her a little off Bulma, or mom when she got really pissed. Pan took in a breath and slowly let it out before deciding to risk sitting up. She was surprised when she felt almost no pain, except for her shoulder and between her legs. She scowled at the thought, fricken Odianna, cheap shotting her like that.

Pan was up and stretching herself out when Aideen walked back in, stopping to stare in amazement at Pan. "Damn, you outdue saiyans with how fast you recover."

Aideen walked over and handed her a canteen which Pan immediately drank. "Ah, thanks Aideen!"

Aideen smiled. "Don't mention it."

There was a briefly awkward silence before Pan decided she ought to say someth...

She paused her thoughts, detecting Odianna's ki spike rapidly off in the distance, followed by a faint booming sound and the ground rattling. Pan detected ki signatures pop up around the teenager.

Immediately Aideen tensed. "Son of a bitch, another attack already?!"

Aideen rushed out, Pan following close behind.

Aideen glanced back at her. "You stay here."

"No way! I can fight! I'm way stronger than the last time I fought the Saiyans, and I can use the Kaio-Ken now!" Pan retorted.

"You used it once Pan," Aideen countered.

"Hey! Let's move guys!" came a voice.

Pan saw some of the defense corps rushing past before taking into the air. Pan didn't give Aideen a chance to argue and took off after them. She could hear Aideen swear to herself as the woman took off after them. Pan grinned to herself, her blood pumping and heart racing. It was time to fight!

"I only feel a few of them," said Aideen, "Probably just a hotshot raiding party."

"Waja mean?" asked Pan.

"Younger saiyan's treat attacking Terra like its some kind of sick game," explained Aideen, "They joke about counting kills and taking trophies."

Pan felt her anger skyrocket. "They won't be killing anyone!"

The group all paused suddenly when one of the saiyan's ki signatures exploded with power. Pan knew that type of feeling anywhere.

"Dammit, it's like Super Saiyan's bonanza," said Aideen with disgust, "Their numbers just keep increasing."

"Shouldn't we go help Odianna?" asked Pan.

Aideen shook her head. "Nah, that super saiyan is even weaker than last weeks one."

"Should we resume our watch then?" one of the corps asked Aideen.

She nodded. "Yeah, head back to Haven guys."

Pan asked after they left. "What did you mean their numbers keep increasing."

Aideen slowly descended to the ground, Pan following suit. "Ever since the first super saiyan, their numbers have been steadily increasing as more and more saiyans have unlocked the transformation. The last time we asked Prince Kai told us that the entire universe is beset by them."

Pan blanked. "Wait... what? The entire universe!?"

Aideen closed her eyes. "I guess I ought to tell you just what your getting into by joining us Pan. Prince Kai told us that they've been conquering and settling planets for hundreds of years. They usually purge a planet completely, sometimes they'll enslave a race if they have any useful technology or abilities."

She looked up to the sky. "Prince Kai says they own the entire North Galaxy, except for our planet. The East and the West Galaxy have mostly fallen, and the south galaxy is losing ground to them."

Pan felt numb. "How many... how many races... how many people..."

Aideen shook her head. "I don't know, I don't want to know either."

Aideen closed her eyes again. "To be frank... were living on borrowed time. Odianna wont ever fall to them, but the rest of us can and will. The only reason we haven't already died is because the Saiyans are fractured and constantly in faction warfare. If they ever got their act together and hit us jointly, it would be over."

Pan frowned, not liking the defeat she heard in Aideen's voice, however, she was curious. "You really have a lot of faith in Odianna, don't you?"

Aideen gave her a quizzical look. "Faith? There's no faith, just fact."

Aideen sighed. "She'd live, but the rest of us could never handle an attack consisting of hundreds of super saiyans."

"H-h-hundreds?!" Pan exclaimed with shock and fear.

"Yeah, you really have no clue, do you? Saiyans are always fighting and warring. New super saiyans are probably awakening every day," said Aideen, "Over the last few years, the number of super saiyans involving themselves in even basic raids like the one Odianna is dealing with have increased."

Pan frowned. She had always treated the super saiyan transformation her family and Vegeta's had with reverence. To hear it was so widespread, and being used in such a despicable way was...

An explosion and tremor in the ground rattled them. Both of them turned, not towards Odianna, but towards the other side of Haven.

"Shit! There's more of them! Wait, that's the fields area! Aneurin!" Aideen exclaimed before taking off.

Pan felt Aneurin's ki skyrocket and knew the man was fighting hard. The two of them boosted their ki and raced towards the fields. Pan saw the smoke well before they arrived. She was horrified to find the entirety of the fields, all of Haven's upcoming food, was set aflame. Aneurin himself was burning with the Kaio-Ken, taking on a group of five saiyans with some difficulty, and trying to protect what the farmers fleeing the field.

"Kaio-Ken times twenty!" screamed Aideen as she shot into battle and scattered the saiyans.

Pan knew that she should pick her target carefully, some of the Saiyan's were strong enough to keep up with Aideen. She noticed one of the Saiyan's recover from Aideen's attack, but rather than fight back, he took off, going right for a group of three farmers that were running aw...

Pan's eyes went wide and she surged towards the Saiyan. "Kaio-Ken!"

The fire ignited her and she shot forward, smashing into the Saiyan before he could finish launching a ki blast. She battered him to the ground and locked his arms behind his back.

"Leave them alone you jackass!" Pan yelled at him, "Picking on people who can't even fight back! Have you no shame?"

"Those who can't fight back are weak and deserve to be exterminated!" yelled the Saiyan, trying to buck Pan off of him.

Pan ground her teeth and struggled to hold on. The Kaio-Ken was burning her stamina rapidly, but she couldn't keep him pinned down without it. She gave a frustrated yell, grabbed his head, and smashed it into the ground to pacify him before canceling her Kaio-Ken.

BOOM BOOM BOOM! Pan glanced over to see the Odianna had arrived, and she made short work of the rest of the saiyans before extinguishing the fire with a gust of Ki.

Odianna glanced her way, a frown on her face. "What are you waiting for? Just kill him and be done with it, we need to be on alert for any more of these scum lurking around."

Pan gave her a shocked look. "But... he's beaten, there's no reason to kill him."

Odianna narrowed her eyes. "Excuse me? Pan, I'm ordering you to kill that Saiyan."

Aneurin walked over and put a hand on Odianna's shoulder. "I'll do it."

Odianna glared at him. "No, you wont. Do you see what I'm seeing? She's showing a Saiyan mercy!"

Aneurin crossed his arms. "We used to do that too."

Odianna glared at him. "Yeah, and you remember how that came back to bite us, don't you?"

Odianna turned her glare towards Pan. "Kill him."

"No," said Pan.

"Are you stupid? What would you have us do then?" asked Odianna.

"Take him prisoner or send him off planet and tell him to never return," said Pan.

Odianna narrowed her eyes, a deadly look crossing her face. "Do you know what happens when you show a Saiyan mercy Pan? They come back stronger than before and kill everyone you care about. Trust me, I know from experience."

Pan flinched, suddenly unable to meet an intense pain in Odianna's eyes. "I can't... killing goes against everything Grandpa taught me."

"For the love of..." Odianna began.

Pan gave a startled cry when the saiyan suddenly bucked her off, rose to his feet, and and unleashed a mouth blast towards the same group of farmer's he had been pursuing earlier.

Pan screamed in horror as it hit and killed them. "NO!"

The Saiyan grinned at her. "Thought I'd get a few for the road."

Pan lost control and screamed in rage. "KAIO-KEN!"

She rushed at the Saiyan and swung her fist with all of her might into his face. His head twisted and his neck snapped as he was sent flying into tree in the distance, his body folding like paper. Pan stood there, enraged, before what she had just done hit her full force. She lost her Kaio-Ken and sank to her knees, shivering. She looked to the corpses of the farmers, then, to the corpse of the saiyan, put her head to the ground, and started to cry.

She gave a yelp as Odianna lifted her up, and then slammed her into the ground. "You stupid idiot! They're dead because you showed mercy to a Saiyan! What the hell did I tell you?! What were you thinking!?"

Aideen and Aneurin grabbed Odianna's shoulder and pulled her back. Pan couldn't bring herself to meet Odianna's eyes. With a sob, Pan turned and fled, flying off as fast as she could. She flew aimlessly, sniffling and sobbing to herself before she saw a cave, flew into it, and powered down. She sat against the wall, pulled her knees up to her body, and put her head between them, clutching it with her hands.

"I... I couldn't... I didn't save them... I... I killed... I murdered him... Grandpa... what have I done?" she sobbed, "Oh Kami... I don't even... I don't even know what hurts more..."

She had sworn she would help these people, instead, she had just gotten three of them killed by not listening to Odianna. But... but... she had also broken her promise to Grandpa to never kill unless she had absolutely had to. She shivered, think of the shame and disappointment she'd see in Grandpa's face if he had seen what she had done. Or... or would he be more ashamed that he hadn't saved the farmers? She tipped over onto her side, and continued to cry, wishing that Grandpa was here instead of her, he could have saved the farmers and spared the Saiyan's life. She continued to cry until she cried herself to a pitiful, restless sleep...

* * *

Son Goku walked out of another portal and back into a portal room with a sigh. "Another world, still no Pan."

"There's near infinite dimensions," said Shin, "Did you honestly expect to find her this quickly?"

"Tsaaaa, maybe," said Goku, scratching the back of his head.

"Idiot," said Vegeta, "This could take years to find her, if we ever do."

Goku frowned. "Don't say that, we'll find her soon. Right Gohan? Right Videl?"

Gohan smiled faintly. "I hope so dad."

Videl however said nothing, Goku took note of an ill look on her face. "What's wrong Videl?"

Slowly, the woman sank to her knees. "I just... I have a really bad feeling about Pan all the sudden."

"Your bein dramatic," said Goku dismissively, "She's fine."

Videl didn't react, a lost look appearing on her face. "..."

Gohan sat down next to her. "What do you feel?"

"I... don't know, I just think she's in a lot of pain all the sudden," said Videl quietly.

"Badly hurt?" asked Gohan with worry.

"No, not that kind of pain," murmured Videl, "And that worries me even more."

Goku was about to chide her for being silly before Shin floated up and flapped a hand against his mouth. "You should learn to trust her instincts in such matter's Goku. A mother's bond to their children is something that is not to be mocked. If she feels this way, then she's probably correct."

"I'm worried Gohan," said Videl, her voice growing weaker, "She's all alone dealing with who knows what right now without any of us to guide her. I'm worried that the next time I see her, she won't be my sweet little angel anymore."

Goku frowned, the fear in Videl's voice was very real, and very unnerving, he walked over and offered her a hand. "How about we pick up the pace and find her quick then?"

Videl looked up, nodded, and took his hand...

* * *

Pan slowly flew back towards Haven, not sure if she would even be allowed back, fearing that she'd be shunned and rejected. If they did... well, she deserved it. She had let them down, had let people die. Odianna was waiting for her, floating quietly above the ruined city. Pan floated towards her and hung her head, awaiting her judgement.

Odianna slapped her across her face, hard, leaving a heavy red hand-print. "If you ever disobey me like that again and get someone killed, I will kill you. Is that clear?"

Pan nodded.

"Come, we have work to do, you and I," said Odianna, "We rushed into your training without making you understand how much different the world we live in is to your own. Aideen told me you didn't even have a clue about the state of the universe. There's so little you know, so little you comprehend."

"I suppose I can only blame myself," Odianna said with frustration as they flew, "I should have realized you'd be soft, just like we used to be, especially with your age. I should have just killed the Saiyan myself. I am partially to blame, but do not fool yourself, you hold the majority of it."

Pan didn't reply, but she did cringe when they landed back in the fields next to the corpses of the farmers. Pan couldn't bring herself to look at the small gathering of people watching them, couldn't bring herself to meet Aideen or Aneurin's eyes. Odianna picked up two of the farmers corpses under her arms, and glanced at the third before eyeing Pan.

"Pick him up," ordered Odianna.

"I...," Pan began weakly.

"Now!" ordered Odianna.

Pan trembled as she slowly put a dead arm over her shoulder.

Odianna glanced over at the others. "We'll be at the graveyard. Until I call for you, salvage what you can from the fields, clear it, and replant. Stay on alert as well, we don't know if anymore Saiyan's are suppressing their ki and hiding out."

Odianna flew into the air. "Follow me Pan."

Pan quietly flew after her. She hated holding the dead man, it was a constant reminder of her failure to protect the people of Terra.

Odianna began to speak. "Were heading to the _Reliquary Forest_ , it's where we now bury our dead."

"What do you mean, now?" asked Pan weakly.

"Saiyans are extremely disrespectful of our dead. They toy with the corpses of those they kill to mock and anger us, and have blown up some of our previous graveyards. Perhaps its a waste of time, but, I honor our dead. I'd rather give them some peace than let the Saiyan's defile them," said Odianna.

They flew quietly for a time before Pan noticed a heavy mist forming in the distance, with tree's poking out of the top of it. Odianna began to descend, letting Pan know that was their destination. They descended into the fog that was as thick as clouds. When they were finally through, Pan gave out a startled cry, nearly dropping the dead farmer.

There were makeshift gravestones everywhere. Hundreds, thousands of them in the clear area before the forest, and further into it between each and every tree. She descended to the ground and set the farmer down, her hand going to cover her mouth, trembling.

"I told you there were only a few hundred of us left, that the saiyans had all but purged humanity, did you think I was lying?" said Odianna coldly as she set down next to her.

"Truth be told, we only started this graveyard ten years ago," said Odianna, "This is nothing compared to the one we had before."

"Doesn't it... doesn't it affect you?" asked Pan weakly.

"I've watched Saiyan's kill us for forty years Pan," said Odianna, "Not much affects me anymore."

Pan blinked a few times, not understanding what the teenager was saying. "Forty years...?"

"Find a clear spot and dig," ordered Odianna.

Pan silently obeyed, floating over rows and rows of gravestones. Most of them didn't even have anything written on them. To have been buried here, lost and forgotten... it... it was awful. Slowly, as she searched and searched, her sadness started giving way to anger. This wasn't right, this wasn't right at all. Finally, she found a spot, set the corpse down, and started to dig with her bare hands. When she made a sizeable hole, she gently put the farmer in it and buried him. She put a stone she had dug up infront of the covered hole and then stood up. She slowly levitated up into the air and began to fly through the forest, taking in the never-ending gravestones. Every single one of them she saw was a throb of pain in her heart.

Finally, she came to a stop and just floated there, unable to bear going further in. "Grandpa... I..."

She looked down at the ground and sobbed. "I'm sorry... I can't... please... don't hate me... I can't let this go on, no matter what, I can't let this keep happening to these people. Even... even if I have to kill..."

She clenched her fists and shouted in anger. "ITS NOT RIGHT!"

"You told me, you told me everyone deserved a second chance!" she yelled.

"No one, no one who does this deserves a second choice," she said hoarsely.

"YOU LIED TO ME!" she screamed.

For a brief moment, so fast that Pan didn't notice, her hair flew up, a soft yellow glow illuminated it before it died down. She levitated there, trembling in anger before it gave way to self-loathing, and even a bit of resentment towards her Grandpa. Finally, she sank to the ground and knelt there, brooding in misery.

Odianna came for her a few minutes later. "Follow."

"Where are we going?" asked Pan weakly.

"I'm going to show you our world," said Odianna.

Pan flew beside her for hours as they flew over the devastated world. Every town, city, and villages they flew over was empty and in ruins. There were blast holes and unnatural landscapes that had seen horrific battles everywhere. There were forests that looked like they had been burned to the ground, and were only now starting to regrow. There were scraps of space ships scattered across the world as well, forgotten carriers of Saiyan invaders. Pan took it in quietly. She had loved to fly around Earth, now, seeing this, she didn't know if doing that would ever be the same if she ever did make it home.

Finally, Odianna flew down to a flat, scorched landscape. In the distance, there was a destroyed huge complex building. There were ruins of tanks off in the distance. Scrap was everywhere. However, Odianna flew past it all, and landed at a fire-pit with a few makeshift benches nearby. Pan could tell these weren't as old as the nearby ruins and scrap, these had been put here sometime after.

Odianna aimed a hand at the firepit unleashed a ki blast, igniting it. "Sit down."

Pan obeyed.

Odianna spiked her ki all the sudden three times. Pan felt Aideen and Aneurin start to head their way. Pan looked around, wondering why they were here. She studied Odianna, noting an apprehensive look about her.

"What is this place?" asked Pan.

"A place of great sorrow," said Odianna, "This is where the first invasion ended."

Pan nodded slowly. "Oh."

Aideen and Aneurin arrived a few minutes later and sat down on opposite benches.

Odianna rubbed her eyes tiredly. "It's long past time we told you the history of Terra. We should have done so the moment you told us you were from another world. You have no idea what your fighting for, nor what your fighting against."

Pan said nothing, she was suddenly very unsure that she wanted to hear it. She felt afraid of learning about the hell this world had gone through. But, she owed it to them to listen...


	8. The History of Terra (Part 1)

_**Potara - Chapter 8: The History of Terra (Part 1)**_

* * *

Odianna began to speak, her voice surprisingly soft, "It all began roughly forty years ago, during the First Invasion. I say roughly, because I'm not sure how old the first Saiyan was when he first started massacring people."

"First Saiyan?" asked Pan.

Odianna nodded. "The first Saiyan to invade Terra was sent as a baby. His name... was Rutabage, though, we came to call him the Despoiler. Everyplace he went was ruined, everyone's lives he touched were destroyed. Despite how weak he was compared to the Saiyan's we deal with nowadays, he was singlehandedly responsible for killing the vast majority of humanity. He wiped out over half of our population before he was stopped."

"One... just... one single Saiyan?" asked Pan with disbelief.

Odianna nodded again. "I encountered him when I was six years old. Despite being the same age as me, he was utterly merciless. My village was one of the first to fall. He killed everyone, all the villagers, my mother, my father, my brother, and toyed with me for amusement."

Pan frowned, growing confused. "But... that was forty years ago...? Your not that old..."

"You still don't get it, do you?" said Odianna coldly, "How were all still alive, how we could possibly stand against the might of the super saiyans."

Odianna shook her head. "You'll understand soon enough."

She cleared her throat. "Just before Rutabage was going to finish me off, the legendary fox hermit, Master Kokatsune appeared, and fought the boy off. He tended to my wounds and had planned to leave me at an orphanage. However, I begged him to train me, to allow me to take revenge for my family."

She brooded, poking the fire with a stick. "He trained me alright, though, he was still focused on hunting Rutabage down, so it wasn't as indepth as it should have been. We encountered Rutabage in the act of slaughtering towns a few times and drove him off, though, I was nothing but a detriment and distraction to my Master at that point."

She frowned. "We continued to try to stop him, along the way over the years, we began to pick up other survivors. The first was an indian who went by the name of Kiaan, his entire family had been killed, and he had been knocked out cold, powerless to stop Rutabage. Kiaan swore revenge and joined us on the hunt. He was a gentle giant at first, but, Rutabage changed him."

"The next was... was someone who would become a dear friend to me," said Odianna sadly, "Her name was Dina."

Odianna smiled faintly. "She was a weird one alright. The only reason she lived through the attack on her village was because she scared the crap out of Rutabage."

"How?" asked Pan.

Odianna smirked. "She had a... condition... whenever she sneezed, her hair and eyecolor would change and her personality would dramatically shift."

Pan blinked a few times. "That... sounds like Launch."

Odianna gave a start. "Sounds like Launch?"

Pan nodded. "Launch is a lady I know who does the exact same thing when she sneezes. When her hair is blue, she's really nice, and a bit naive. When her hair is yellow, she has a wicked temper and always pulls out a gun to shoot people. She was a major bank robber back in her youth."

"Pfff, bank robber," said Odianna with distaste, "Well, they sound similar except for the last part. Though, nice Dina was a brunette, and angry Dina was a redhead. Her switching between her personalities freaked Rutabage out enough to make him run away. Having no one else to go, she joined up with us. I looked up to her, kind of like a big sister. She saved my ass a lot back then."

She gave an amused look towards Aneurin. "The final one that joined us was a homeless teenager wandering the ruins of a city. Looked an awful lot like this guy here. Didn't talk much, we never asked him to join us, he never asked permission to, he just followed us and did his best to help out."

Aneurin gave a small smile, but said nothing.

"Rutabage grew more cunning and ruthless as time dragged on, he started leaving no survivors, and our battles started getting more brutal until finally, one day, we thought we had done him in. Bashed his skull bad, and knocked him off a cliff into a ravine that went over a waterfall. We thought we had stopped him for good," said Odianna.

"The fox hermit took us back to his home, and began to train us properly for a time, deciding that we would take over for him when his time came and watch over Terra if anyone as monsterous as Rutabage ever appeared," said Odianna, "Little did we know, Rutabage wasn't dead. He recovered and started the slaughter again. We learned of his resurfacing months later and left to pursue him."

"When we fought him for the first time in months, we were shocked how stronger he was than before, though, we had come along in our own way as well. Especially Dina, she was the most gifted out of us, and is the reason we got out of that battle alive," said Odianna.

"How so?" asked Pan.

"Two personalities, two styles," Odianna explained, "Master Kokatsune came up with the idea to carry a bag of powder around that Dina could use to sneeze at will. Her two personalities had drastically different approaches to the fox style, one was conservative, a master of defense and counter attacks. The other was aggressive and ruthless, an unrelenting force in battle. Rutabage could not properly deal with a warrior who could so easily switch styles at a whim, couldn't properly adapt."

"That actually sounds really cool," said Pan.

Odianna smirked. "It was 'cool', yes, but, that advantage only lasted so long. Each battle, it appeared that Rutabage was somehow growing stronger and stronger. We couldn't understand it, he was growing so strong so fast, it was taking everything we had as a combined group to deal with him. Finally, one battle, when we were all almost defeated, Master Kokatsune feigned defeat, and pretending to be in his death throes, demanded to know Rutabage's secret, and why he was doing this."

Anger played across Odianna's face. "Rutabage revealed that his mission was to kill all of humanity, and for some reason, whenever he recovered from injuries, he grew more powerful, the closer he was to death, the more powerful he became. We had been inadvertently making him more powerful the entire time. Master Koketsune was determined to stop him at all costs and battled him to a fierce standstill with us supporting him when we could. Finally, Master Koketsune blew a hole through Rutabage's chest and he moved no more. Once again, we thought we had killed him. We were stupid fools, we should have destroyed his body, or at least blew a hole through his head."

She sighed. "We buried him quickly, not even three minutes after the battle, and left. I figured he awoke and dug himself out soon after we left. That son of a bitch just never seemed to die. Though, he didn't go back to killing, not right away. He was damn near crippled from that battle and had to deceive others into tending to his wounds."

"In the meantime, we resumed our training with Master Koketsune, entered a martial art's tournament, and our performance drew the attention of the Blue Bowtie Army, a group hell bent on world domination. They attempted to recruit us, but our Master refused. They of course tried to kill us on the spot, but we were strong enough to drive them off. That was the start of a several year struggle between us and them, it drew in other martial arts schools, and other nations of the world in a bloody struggle for domination," continued Odianna.

She clenched her fists. "Rutabage had recovered during that time, and started killing again, though, we didn't know it. Any ruined village we came across, we just assumed it was the Blue Bowtie Army. Suddenly, the war began to change, and the Blue Ribbon Army began targeting museums, art exhibits, and people with massive artifact collections rather then trying to take over towns or destroy us. We didn't understand it, not until we saved the life of an old hermit living alone on a mountain. On his person, he carried a peculiar orange orb with stars on it, what we would come to know as a dragon ball."

She closed her eyes. "He told us of their power, to be able to grant any one wish when all seven were collected. He implored us to safeguard the ball, and to seek out the source of its mystical energies. We went into hiding after that, not wanting to risk the ball being stolen from us. The old hermit had given us a few clues, about a tower going up high into the sky. Eventually, we found it, and climbed to the top. That's where we met Master Papaya and received training from her for a few months."

She opened her eyes, her gaze darkening. "That's also when we learned Rutabage was still alive, and that he was taking on both the Blue Ribbon Army, and the world governments. We wanted to stop him right away, but Master Papaya forbid us, saying we weren't strong enough. When we finished our training with him, he said we needed to continue up above to receive the guardian's training. We had no idea what he meant, but, he taught us how to levitate, and we rose into the sky, discovering the Lord's Palace."

"The guardian was an old, but insanely powerful green creature. His was distrusting of us, but, desired to have Rutabage stopped. He could have done it himself, but, he was apparently bound by rules that prevented him from interfering. He taught us the secrets of sensing ki and flying, honed our techniques, and trained us to a new level. During that time, we learned that he was the creator of the dragonballs, though, he never told us why he made them," continued Odianna.

"After we finished our training a year later, we left to take the battle to Rutabage. The world... was in a bad state, so much of it was ruined by Rutabage's rampage. Our first fight with him was utterly brutal, Master Papaya had been right, if we had fought him head on before receiving the guardian's training, we would have been slaughtered. Rutabage was intrigued by our growth in power, rather than finish the fight then and there one way or another, he fled," said Odianna.

"We didn't realize he was using us to get stronger, he could have killed us at any time after the first few recoveries he made, but he held back. It was during this time, we noticed him stealing dragonballs from the Blue Bowtie Army. We confronted him again, and then, we learned what his horrific desires were. He wanted to gather the dragonballs and wish for immortality," said Odianna.

"Immortality," murmured Pan.

Odianna nodded. "He beat us handily and stole our dragonball, but again spared our lives. We recognized that we were outmatched, but, we could absolutely not allow him to get his wish. We returned to the guardian and begged him to aid us, but he refused. We changed tactics, and instead begged him to disable the dragonballs. Again, he refused. Finally, we managed to convinced him to alter their capabilities. While he refused to disable any particular wish, he did weaken the dragonballs power in certain regards. Rather than be able to grant true immortality and invulnerability, it would only grant a lessor form immortality. It was a small victory, because if he got that wish, we were still all dead regardless."

"In the end, after Rutabage had gathered six of the seven dragonballs, we were forced to ally with the Blue Bowtie Army and anyone else who would stand alongside us. We gathered here at this very spot to make our stand. It... it was a slaughter. Rutabage was so powerful, his power was monstrous compared to ours. He killed our allies, he wiped out the Blue Bowtie Army and their leader, and then he fought us for the dragonball. Master Kokatsune entrusted the ball to me, since I was the weakest of us, and told me if we were to lose, that i had to take it and run," said Odianna.

A pained look crossing her face. "He picked us apart one by one. Piaan was the first to die, next was Aneurin..."

Pan gave a start. "Wait, Aneurin, you died?!"

He nodded. "Yeah, how do you think I learned the Kaio-Ken and the Spirit Bomb from Prince Kai?"

Pan nodded slowly. "Oh."

Odianna sighed. "Master Kokatsune fell after an hour long struggle between Rutabage and the three of us. When he did, I... I lost hope, lost the will to fight. Oh didn't he get a sick thrill out of that. To beat and kill an opponent was one thing, to rob them of their fighting spirit was another. Dina fought with everything she had one on one with Rutabage, it was battle of such intensity never seen before on our world, but he beat her, breaking one of her arms, roughing her up, and casting her aside. He took the dragonball from me, laughed at how pitiful I was, and blew a hole through my chest. As I laid there dying, he told me he wanted me to see him achieve his ultimate victory before I passed on."

Odianna closed her eyes. "Dina crawled to me as he gathered the dragonballs together, trying to comfort me. He... summoned the dragon then, lamenting that his struggle for immortality was finally over. I'll admit, I cried, I felt humiliated and useless, that I had failed everyone who counted on me. I was pitiful, cried about dying when I deserved it for my weakness. Dina... looked at me sadly, told me she knew what she had to do to save my life and stop him, and begged my forgiveness, though I didn't understand why. Just before he could make his wish, just before he uttered the last word, Dina rushed him from behind and clamped a hand over his mouth. She stole his wish, and used it to grant me immortality."

Pan blinked a few times, staring at Odianna with disbelief. "You... your... your immortal?!"

Odianna opened her eyes and met Pan's gaze. "I am, a lesser immortal to be exact, ironic how our begging the guardian to weaken the wish hurt us in the end. I've been sixteen years old ever since that day. Let me ask you something, how do you think I can sustain a Kaio-Ken times fifty? How do you think I could have survived all these years against the might of the Saiyan race? Survived against the first super saiyan and ascended super saiyan? I couldn't, not without immortality. If it wasn't for my immortality, humanity would have been exterminated during the First Invasion, forget about all the rest."

It all made sense to Pan now. Odianna's absurd strength, her ability to use impossible levels of the Kaio-Ken, her skill, her youthful age, how everyone obeyed her and looked up to her as their leader, and Aideen's utter faith in her. Aideen was right, faith was irrelevant in regard's to Odianna, she was immortal, the Saiyans could never kill her.

Pan nodded slowly. "I guess I understand now. So, you killed Rutabage after?"

Odianna slowly shook her head. "Not right away. After Dina stole his wish, he was enraged, he... he..."

For the first time since Pan had met her, Odianna almost looked like she would cry. "He... killed Dina. Snapped her neck completely around and blew a hole through her as a mystical light enveloped me. That snapped me out of my depressive stupor, and after the dragon and the light faded, I threw myself at him in a rage. However, immortal or not, I had been the weakest of my group. While my stamina and durability were greatly increased, I could still be hurt. My wounds did not instantly heal, instead, they repaired themselves over time. While my ki could recover quickly, it still took a bit of time."

A weird, sadistic, pleasured look crossed Odianna's face. "We fought for hours, not once did I ever back down, no matter how many times he knocked me down, I got back up and threw myself at him. The first day was unending painful bloodshed before he knocked me out and fled. When I awoke, I immediately pursued him, recovering to full strength by the time I overtook him. Relentlessly I pursued him, hunting him down as he had hunted humans for a decade since he first appeared. I wore him down over time until he finally began to slip up due to exhaustion, lack of sleep, and lack of food. I began to wound him until the moment I had dreamed for ever since he had killed my family arrived. I broke his knees, brokes his arms, knocked him to the ground, and blew a hole through the back of his head."

She smiled, sitting there, lost in memory for a few minutes before she continued, "I made one-hundred percent sure this time and disintegrated his body before I... took my friends back to the guardian. He put them in preservation caskets, which would prevent them from decaying. He told me that the dragonballs could be used to revive one of them in a years time, however, there was a time limit, anyone dead for more than roughly one year could not be resurrected. So only one of them could be revived. Since I had done him such a service by killing Rutabage, he recalled the now petrified dragonballs to him, and told me to seek him out in a years time."

She licked her lips. "I was... distraught over being able to only bring back one of them. The guardian noted this, and said to think it over during my journey. I didn't understand what he meant by that before he explained to me that Rutabage had to have come from somewhere. He tasked me to hunt down that bastards origins and find out what could have spawned such a monster."

She clenched her fists. "In a wasteland, far into the dead lands, I found a large spherical orb object of some kind, what we would eventually come to know as 'pods'. Inside of it, there was a beeping flashing red button. I pressed it, and a voice started speaking, damanding to know why Rutabage hadn't picked up in so long, and how far along in his mission to wipe out humanity he was."

She laughed. "I'll admit, I lost my shit right there and screamed at the voice in a rage. I doomed humanity. I revealed to them that I had killed Rutabage, but rather than be angry, the voice congradulated me for killing a Saiyan warrior, even if he was as weak as Rutabage. He informed me that he would be sending Rutabage's brother to clean up his brother's mess in a years time. I had revealed to them our world, and caused the next invasion."

Pan frowned. "They would have come eventually to find out what happened to Rutabage."

Odianna shrugged. "Maybe, maybe not. Either way I cut down the time we had left. Soon after that, I returned to the guardian who put me in touch with Prince Kai. He revealed to me that he was training my friends in the otherworld, teaching them two godly techniques that could save our world. It was decided then and there that whoever mastered Prince Kai's techniques would be the one revived, in order to pass them on to me."

"Which was Aneurin," confirmed Pan.

Odianna nodded, "Yeah, it was..."

Aneurin bowed his head. "To be honest, I wish it hadn't been me. I was the loner of the group, didn't have any family or friends to come back to. I thought Dina deserved it the most out of all of us, but, her split personality made it twice as hard for her to learn the Kai's techniques, and because of the raw anger and impurity of her furious side, she was incapable of using the Spirit Bomb. I had always been quick on picking up new survival skills and tricks when I was a homeless kid, that carried on to techniques. At the end of the year, with only a month to go before the Saiyan arrived, I was revived and returned to Terra to teach Odianna the Kaio-Ken."

When he didn't continue, Pan asked, "And the Spirit Bomb?"

Odianna smiled sadly. "I'm not capable of using the Spirit Bomb, I never was after that final day of the First Invasion."

She leaned back on her bench and looked into the sky. "I'll freely admit, I could never let go of my hatred. To be honest, even if I was capable of it, I wouldn't willingly do so. I hate Saiyans, I hate them with everything that I am, and everything that I ever will be. One day, when the last human aside from me has fallen, I'm going to leave this world. I'm going to hunt down every single Saiyan, and kill them all. I don't care how long it takes, I will destroy them."

Pan looked at her, feeling numb. That hate... that malice Pan felt emanating from her. It was horrifyingly intoxicating and contagious. Pan blinked a few times before bowing her head, realizing something. She... she was part saiyan... if Odianna ever found out, she'd kill her. Pan clenched her fists, not angry with Odianna, but with herself for being part Saiyan. She had only just begun listening to the history of Terra, she was only through eleven of the forty years. She could only imagine just what else the Saiyan race had done to the humans of Terra over time as they were slowly wiped out. It was sickening to think she shared Saiyan blood, was even part of the same race who exterminated masses of other species.

It... it was sickening to think that Grandpa, that dad, Goten, Trunks, Bra and Vegeta... all shared their blood as well... she trembled, feeling an unfamiliar feeling... loathing... towards her family and friends...

* * *

 _Trivia_

 _(1) Rutabage = Rutabaga._

 _(2) Kokatsune = Kokatsuna which means cunning._


	9. The History of Terra (Part 2)

_**Potara - Chapter 9: The History of Terra (Part 2)**_

* * *

Odianna, Aneurin, Aideen, and Pan sat around the now dwindling firepit quietly, mulling over their thoughts for a time.

Finally, Odianna cleared her throat and resumed the story, "With a month to go before the arrival of Rutabage's brother, I struggled to learn the Kaio-Ken. It was a foreign concept to me at the time. I wasn't the best student, not by a long shot. Me being immortal didn't help out, made me arrogant."

"But you got it down just in time, right? asked Pan.

Odianna laughed. "No."

Aneurin shook his head slowly. "She butchered the technique every time she tried. If she hadn't been immortal, she would have died dozens of times over. By the time the Guardian felt the saiyan's presence in our solar system, Odianna only had some poor half-assed version of the technique developed."

Odianna scowled. "It gave me a lot of power for a lot of pain and didn't last long before it managed to overwhelm my lesser immortal stamina."

Odianna frowned. "The Saiyan landed in the middle of a city and begun the second invasion by blowing it up. We rushed over as fast as we could and engaged him. He introduced himself as Aggeplan, complimented us on defeating his weak little brother, before telling us to brace ourselves for fighting a true saiyan warrior."

"How much stronger was he than Rutabage?" asked Pan.

"More than twice as strong, with far more honed techniques and a real fighting style," said Odianna, "I wasn't even close to being ready to fight a warrior of his caliber."

She grunted and nodded towards Aneurin. "He carried the fight, I wasn't nearly strong enough to faze Aggplan in battle. Once I realized that, I used myself as a distraction in battle to get in his way. The only reason he lost to us was his arrogance. If he had killed Aneurin off, I wouldn't have been able to honestly do anything against him, the gap between me and him was even bigger than me and his brother. Instead, he was toyed with me, mocked me, but said he was impressed how I seemingly always came back from a beat down every time, despite how 'weak' my power level was."

She frowned. "He had this device on his head called a Scouter that allowed him to 'read' power levels, said I was at... what was it... 400? 600 when I did my piss poor Kaio-Ken, Aneurin was at...hrm..."

Aneurin shook his head. "I never really cared about their power readings. It was meaningless for us since we could raise and lower our power levels in addition to using the Kaio-Ken. Saiyans put so much value in those readings at first, it was absurd. It was like they thought it was all that mattered, that you couldn't outsmart or outwit them."

Aneurin sighed. "I could have beat him earlier, but, we tried to get him to back down and surrender. He of course refused, well, until we discovered a glaring weakness, his tail."

Pan tilted her head in confusion. "Tail?"

Odianna nodded. "Yeah, we didn't know Saiyan's had it at the time. I asked Master Kokatsune through Prince Kai about it later, and he revealed that he had cut off Rutabage's tail well before we first met him, said that it held a 'terrifying' power, but wouldn't speak of it."

Odianna frowned at Pan. "Aggplan was our first experience with what happens when you show Saiyan's mercy. After I got his tail, he agreed to surrender and leave. Instead, the moment I let him go, he punched a hole through me. Hurt like you wouldn't believe."

Aneurin nodded. "Up until that point, I had only been using the base Kaio-Ken, which allowed me to roughly keep up with him. Though Prince Kai told me I wasn't ready for it, once Odianna was knocked out of the battle, I burst up to a time three and killed him."

Odianna sighed. "Of course, that only made things worse. We heard people talking from his Scouter and I put it on. The voice on the other end was intrigued by the human race, saying that it was rare for a race to survive two Saiyan warriors, even if they were 'low class'. He said he'd be personally coming to 'test' our race, and to avenge the insult to 'Saiyan Pride' that the others failure had left. He left it ambiguous as to when he'd arrive, as to 'keep us in suspense and fearful', and told us to prepare to fight a Saiyan Elite."

"We threw ourselves into training after that. I mastered the Kaio-Ken and started pushing to higher levels immediately. I couldn't die, so, there was really no risk to me going far higher than I could handle. Sort of...," said Odianna.

"What do you mean?" asked Pan.

"Even if it wouldn't kill me, going too high would be useless, as it would instantly drain my strength before I could even fight," explained Odianna.

"The Saiyan arrived alongside a squad of his warriors about a year after Aggplan did, and started laying waste to Terra. There was no talking, no negotiations, we found them, we fought them, we killed them, except for the Elite. He was on a whole class of his own and picked us apart with relative ease. He boasted, saying his power level was over twenty thousand, and that 'pitiful humans' like us could never challenge him," said Odianna.

She smirked. "That's when we discovered the great Saiyan weakness, their pride. I made some offhand comment to Aneurin, saying if we could weaken him to half-strength I could maybe take him if I really pushed the Kaio-Ken. He laughed at us and said he'd accept the challenge and fought using only half his strength, he even boasted that he probably wouldn't have needed even a fourth of his power to beat us."

Pan gave her an incredulous look. "He... seriously did that?"

Odianna nodded. "Yeah, he was an idiot, though, he was right. I still couldn't match him."

"How'd you beat him then?" asked Pan.

"Spirit Bomb," said Aneurin, "Since he couldn't detect energy on his own, and his scouter was damaged during the fight, he had no idea I was charging the attack. It was overkill, but, it finished him off."

"Spirit Bomb ended up saving you guys a lot, didn't it?" asked Pan.

Aneurin shrugged. "A few times, whenever we actually managed to use it, it never failed us."

Pan smirked, unlike Grandpa and his uses of it, well, except for Majin Buu.

Odianna frowned. "After that, it only got worse and worse. Rather than the yearlong waits we had with the Second and Third Invasion, attacks started springing up monthly. We kept calling them invasions, well, until we had our first real invasion. An army of Saiyan's, the battle was horrific, we lost over half of humanity. After that, we decided to create the defense corps and began training anyone who would volunteer."

She grew quiet for a time before resuming. "Then, it happened. Five years after the end of the first invasion. An elite squad of Saiyan's landed on the planet and made straight for us. They bore no scouters, could sense energy as we did, and could lower and raise their power level at whim. Apparently they had investigated the 'truth' in the rumors about the warriors of Terra and managed to replicate some of our abilities. Unlike most Saiyans who preferred to fight alone, these ones fought together, we weren't prepared to fight that."

She shook with anger. "They slaughtered most of the defense corps, and I thought they had killed Aneurin as well. I lost control, pushed my Kaio-Ken up to fifty for the first time, and beat them in a fit of rage. But, rather than simply kill them, I acted like a Saiyan. I was so enraged that I slowly tortured and killed them one by one, until their was only three left. I discovered that two of them were mates, I ripped off the tail of the man, and strangled his woman with it."

Pan said nothing. She should have been disgusted with Odianna, but...

Odianna face went lax and she whispered. "He transformed... he transformed into the first Super Saiyan... I can still see it if I close my eyes, still feel it..."

She stood up, walked to the firepit, and re-ignited it with a ki blast. "I was woefully unprepared to fight the Super Saiyan. I could only maintain the times fifty for a short duration. He beat the crap out of me and slaughtered anyone who dared interfere. But, midway through the fight, he suddenly stopped when our battle took us near his dead mate and his other comrade. He knocked me away, and ordered his comrade to take his mate's corpse and leave the planet. I should have stopped him, should have killed that Saiyan before he escaped, but I was too focused on the Super Saiyan. His comrade escaped to tell the tale of the first Super Saiyan, the secret to unlocking the transformation, and like a plague, it began to spread throughout the universe. The fact that I ripped off his tail before he transformed apparently started a tradition that all Super Saiyans would remove their tails after transformation in honor of the first Super Saiyan."

She scowled. "The Super Saiyan eventually realized I was immortal after he blew my head off and it slowly regrew. He was frustrated to realize that becoming 'the Super Saiyan of legend' wouldn't be enough, and tried to blow up the planet. He threw everything he had into that blast, but, I dove right into it and detonated it prematurely. The explosion obliterated my entire body, and badly wounded the Super Saiyan. I eventually regenerated and regained consciousness some time later. I killed the unconscious Saiyan, and left to check for survivors."

She smirked at Aneurin. "Thankfully, this guy is one tough bastard and survived the fight."

Odianna sat back down. "Slowly, more and more Super Saiyan's began to appear over the next few years. They also began to unlock higher levels of the Super Saiyan transformation. There was a muscly form that drastically increased their power and speed. Then, there was a gigantic muscle form that skyrocketed their power, but crippled their speed. I had to burst into the unstable levels of the Kaio-Ken to match them."

"Unstable?" asked Pan.

"Going higher than fifty drastically destabilizes the ability, the power becomes uncontrollable and impossible to balance. Let's just say that collateral damage happened a lot when I went that high, and what's more, it damaged me in ways that even my lesser immortality took far to long to heal," explained Odianna.

She pursed her lips. "There was one more form after the giant muscle one. Prince Kai warned us of it before we encountered it. The ability to sustain the Super Saiyan form near indefinitely without any backlash, negative affects on emotions, or power drain from transforming. He told us of it's unreal strength, and to be frank, I didn't think humanity would survive an encounter with one of these kind of Super Saiyans."

"That's when the Guardian called us to him, and told us for our service to Terra, he would allow us to train in a sacred place, a room where time flows differently...," began Odianna.

"Oh, the Hyperbolic Time chamber? One day out here one year in there?" Pan confirmed.

Odianna looked shocked. "You... know if it? It exists in your world?"

Pan nodded. "Yeah, my Grandpa uses it all the time."

She was startled when Odianna flew through the fire, grabbed Pan by her shirt, and lifted her up. "What do you mean all the time?! Are you telling me that you can use the one in your world more than twice?"

Pan nodded. "Y-yeah, I think it used to be like that, but Grandpa got our Guardian to change the room after the lookout was blown up in a fight."

Odianna slowly let Pan down, a devastated look on her face. "Waste, what a waste, the guardian could have changed the room, allowed us, allowed me, to train indefinitely. I don't need to eat, I don't need to sleep, I could have easily grown strong enough to never allow the Saiyan race to ever win over humanity!"

Aneurin nodded. "Probably, but, that's most likely what the guardian feared, granting you infinite power. He didn't trust us Odianna, you know that, he only trusted himself."

Odianna walked back to her spot, a furious look on her face. "That blasted fool!"

She ground her teeth before sighing. "Aneurin and I took a day in the chamber and came out far stronger than before. I still couldn't push my Kaio-Ken higher than fifty stably, but we tried a different root. Rather than training with the Kaio-Ken, we trained in our base forms. The intense gravity and circumstances within the chamber pushed us to our limits and beyond. We came out drastically more powerful than we went in. We still weren't close to being able to fight Super Saiyan's in our base form, we still can't, but a times fifty kaio-ken on my part was overkill for most super Saiyans."

Odianna closed her eyes. "The first time we fought the true power of the Super Saiyan was also the first time we encountered an Ascended Super Saiyan. The Saiyan race were devious, power hungry bastards. They'd do anything for more power, even sacrifice their own. As I understand it, most Saiyan's don't readily keep family ties, or value them that much. The ones that did apparently had a far easier time triggering their transformations, and someone took note of that."

Odianna looked sickened. "They came, twenty years ago, and everything changed. A family of Super Saiyan's came for us, a mother, a father, three teenage children, and a adolescent a little older than you are Pan. The mother was... horrific to me, she sent her family to die, one by one, intentionally. I didn't understand it, what she was doing, and why. Each death was agony for her, when I had finished with most of her family, and was about to kill her youngest, she... ascended in a rage I had never felt before."

Pan looked at her, horrified. "She... she used her family to push her to the next level..."

Odianna nodded. "She had intentionally bonded with them, knowing that she was going to one day get them killed. She was crazy, insane, but, she was also incredibly cunning and intelligent. She told me she was one of the first of the Saiyan race to theorize there was another level beyond Super Saiyan."

Pan shook with rage and disgust. In one fleeting way, the story made her happy, Vegeta had always teased her that a woman could never go super saiyan, so this put that to rest. However, the fact of how this... this... monster, had ascended to Super Saiyan 2 was too horrific for words. For a moment, as she had done countless times in the past, Pan imagined herself as a Super Saiyan, and was for once was utterly disgusted with the picture.

Aneurin spoke up, his voice showing hints of fear. "You cannot fathom it Pan, fathom the power of an Ascended Super Saiyan. It's a power unlike anything else, a power that should never have existed. It was a power that finally drove the guardian to break his code and interfere, but it was to little to late."

Odianna spoke with a strange calmness, almost as if she were in a trance. "The guardian was butchered with ease and without him, the Dragonballs were no more. The Lord's Palace was sent crashing to the ground, and Master Papaya and her tower were destroyed. Aneurin began to charge our final Spirit Bomb as I desperately fought. Terra burned during our fight, humanity was driven to dangerously low levels of population, less than a million remained. Finally, I lured the Ascended Super Saiyan back to Aneurin, fed his bomb all the energy I could, he threw it, and it killed the Ascended Super Saiyan."

"Thankfully, the Lord's Palace was mostly intact. We took our second day in the time chamber immediately, though, we had forgotten something critical in our haste. The youngest Saiyan child of the Ascended Super Saiayn, we had let a witness slip away. Her youngest child fled the planet and brought word of the Ascended Super Saiyan form to the rest of them. Thankfully, that form is apparently far more difficult to achieve than normal Super Saiyan. We've only encountered it a few more times."

Aideen spoke for the first time since they arrived. "Once was when I was five years old, fifteen years ago. I watched Odianna and an Ascended Super Saiyan fight, it was the most horrifying battle I have ever seen. Seeing her fight like that, using _that technique_..."

Odianna frowned at her. "I do what I have to do to match the Saiyan's power."

Pan looked back and forth between them, wondering what exactly they were alluding too. Neither of them looked comfortable. Pan really wanted to know what technique could possibly allow Odianna to fight a Super Saiyan 2 if the Kaio-Ken wasn't enough. She was unwilling to press them though, and remained quiet, hoping they would reveal it.

Odianna cleared he throat. "For the next fifteen years, humanity continued to dwindle and die out from attacks and invasions. We consolidated what remained of humanity in Haven, and fought hard to protect it. About a year ago, the attacks suddenly stopped, and, one week ago, as you saw, they finally returned, and it appears they've returned with a vengeance. Two attacks within a week's time."

"Not to mention, they're attacking smarter," said Aneurin, "They lured you away with one group, and destroyed our crops with another. They've always just fought us head on, fighting like this, with strategy to cripple us, is different."

Odianna frowned intently. "They're moving in for the kill then, to finish wiping out humanity."

"I wont let that happen!" shouted Pan, standing up, "I'm going to train so hard! I'll kill any of them that dares to try!"

Odianna gave her an approving look. "Good, that's the way Pan."

Odianna stood up as well. "If they truly are moving in for the kill, I expect them to amp up their attacks. Probably start hitting our storehouses if they can identify them. We'll need to send out scavengers to the far reaches of Terra. Fruit trees, berry bushes, any animals that remain, we're going to need them. And you Pan, if you want to make a difference, your going to need at least a times ten Kaio-Ken to fight some of the strongest none-Super Saiyans."

"Then let's get training!" said Pan eagerly.

Odianna raised an eyebrow and pointed up. "Tomorrow, its almost midnight."

Pan blanked and looked up into the night's sky and at the moon. "Oh... guess we were here talking for quite awhile."

Odianna nodded and floated into the air. "See you tomorrow then."

She left, followed by Aneurin. Pan was about to leave before she noticed Aideen wasn't moving. Pan saw a sad look on her face and moved over to sit next to her.

"You okay?" asked Pan.

Aideen shrugged. "It's been a long time since I was last here, having the two of them tell me their story."

"When did you join them?" asked Pan.

"I started my training soon after I witnessed Odianna kill that Ascended Super Saiyan. I was one of the lucky few defense corps members that managed to survive fight after fight. After I survived my first encounter with a Super Saiyan, the two of them took personal note of me and started giving me personal training. I took my first day in the time chamber when I was twelve, my second when I was fifteen. After my second day in the chamber, they promoted me to third in command, and I've been at their side ever since," said Aideen.

Pan smiled. "Well, maybe in a few years I'll be number four myself, who knows..."

She playfully elbowed Aideen. "Maybe I'll even surpass you and take number three."

Rather than laugh, Aideen shook her head. "I hope not Pan, I'm hoping your family comes and finds you soon. So you can escape from all of this."

Pan scowled. "I want to help fight!"

Aideen ran a hand through Pan's hair. "I know, your a lot like I was, but, the fighting wears down on you overtime Pan."

Pan frowned, there was a tone of defeat in her voice that Pan really didn't like. "It's okay, once I'm trained, you guys can take it easy and wont have to worry about covering as much."

Aideen smiled sadly. "I remember saying something like that myself a long time ago."

She sighed. "Go get some sleep Pan."

Pan obeyed and flew off, eager to go to sleep and awaken for tomorrow's training.

Aideen watched her fly away and whispered to herself to quietly for Pan to hear, "I hope they find you soon, so you don't die. Or, they find you before you end up like us, killers without hope fighting an endless battle, knowing one day, your going to fail, one day your going to die. You still have that fire in your eye's Pan, still have a bit of innocence, I don't want to see you lose it..."

* * *

 _Trivia:_

 _Aggeplan = Eggplant_


	10. Oncoming Threat

**_Potara - Chapter 10: Oncoming Threat_**

* * *

 _One month later..._

"Kaio-Ken times five!" screamed Pan, igniting herself in the fiery red aura and rushing into battle.

Pan picked her target, a lanky Saiyan that was attacking Aideen from behind, and slammed a two-handed fist into him and knocked him to the ground before releasing her Kaio-Ken. Aideen gave her a brief nod before returning to the Saiyan's in front of her. Pan eyed their opponents, four Saiyans total, Odianna was on the other side of Haven with Aneurin dealing with a second attack.

She floated down to the ground, watching the lanky Saiyan pick himself up. She only spared him a moment to catch his breath before re-igniting her Kaio-Ken and rushing to him, barreling into him before clobbering him with a set of quick blows followed by a heavy gut punch. She grinned, watching the Saiyan spit blood. She had to admit, she was starting to like using fox style.

Pan swept his legs out from under him and grabbed his arm, swinging him overhead, and slamming him into the ground. She kicked the Saiyan into the air, cupped her hands together, and released a kamehameha wave that shot right through the Saiyan's chest. She relaxed her Kaio-Ken and watched him fall. She only flinched when he hit the ground and screamed before his ki faded away. She stared at the corpse silently before turning and rushing to rejoin the fight, not that Aideen needed her against trash this weak.

They cleaned up the rest of them in a minute and powered down, breathing with a little effort, Aideen glanced her way. "How you holding up?"

"Fine," replied Pan, "Scum like this barely makes me break a sweat."

Aideen frowned at her briefly before she started flying back towards Haven. "Lets go."

Pan flew behind her, brooding to herself. This last month had been... a learning experience. The first attack since she had learned about Terra's history happened two days later. It was another distraction attack, Odianna and Pan had left to engage Saiyans further from their sanctuary while Aideen and Aneurin had fought off a sneak attack at Haven. Since it the battle was outside of Haven where no one could get hurt, Odianna had kept one alive for Pan to kill...

* * *

 _"Huff, huff, huff," Pan panted with exhaustion.  
_

 _"Here, catch!" shouted Odianna, kicking the last Saiyan towards her._

 _Pan surged forward and ignited the Kaio-Ken one last time, overhead smashing her opponent to the ground before releasing the aura. Odianna floated towards her, an amused look on her face. Odianna studied the Saiyan on the ground, and then aimed a hand at him before suddenly stopping. Slowly, she turned towards Pan, then pointed at the Saiyan on the ground._

 _"Kill him," Odianna ordered._

 _Pan flinched. "W-well..."_

 _Odianna crossed her arms. "Well what? What are you waiting for?"_

 _Pan slowly descended towards the ground, feeling a bit squeamish. The Saiyan groaned, rising to his feet as she neared. Immediately, Odianna was there and grabbed the Saiyan's arm, twisting it and locking him down. She looked at Pan, waiting patiently. Pan touched down and stared at the Saiyan, trying her best not to tremble. Odianna narrowed her eyes, Pan could see the anger and disgust growing in her eyes. If she didn't do this, she'd never gain Odianna's trust, and never prove herself to her and the others._

 _Slowly, Pan raised a hand into the air, weakly gathering ki in-front of it. She stood there, her arm trembling. She could feel Aideen and Aneurin heading towards them. She felt ashamed, thinking they too would see her struggling with what they could do so easily and readily. These... these Saiyans were awful people, they killed for their own amusement, had done awful things. She shouldn't... shouldn't have trouble doing this..._

 _The other two touched down a ways a way and watched her silently. It made it even worse..._

 _"Pan, I'm not going to say this again. Kill. The. Saiyan," ordered Odianna._

 _She had already killed one of them, even if it had been an accident. S-s-so... it shouldn't be hard to do it again..._

 _"PAN!" Odianna roared at her._

 _Pan gave a yelp of surprise at her outburst and fired without thinking, putting a hole through the Saiyan's chest. Pan stood there, frozen, watching the Saiyan's life leave his body..._

* * *

Pan scowled, feeling annoyed at the memory and her weakness. It... had hurt the first time, she could admit that, but the next time, she had done it with only a little bit of anger on Odianna's part, and it hadn't hurt as much. Then... the next time, the Saiyan's had killed a few people, and Odianna hadn't even needed to order her to do it with how angry she had been. Later on, when her killing stopped a Saiyan from murdering someone before her eyes, she had felt so righteous about it. After that, it just started getting easier and easier, especially with her hatred of these scum growing.

She clenched her fists, the Saiyans had been ramping up their attacks, hitting multiple times per week on what Aneurin called 'soft targets'. Honorless bastards! They targeted the innocent so readily, and mocked them for trying to live a life without fighting. They were a perversion of everything a Saiyan could and should be. Though, at times, she couldn't help but wonder if she was wrong. Instead, were her and her family the perversions? Were Saiyan's supposed to be warlike abominations?

Her answer came a moment later when Aideen suddenly cried out, "PAN! Watch out!"

So lost in her thoughts, Pan didn't react in time as a Saiyan came out of nowhere and smashed a leg up into her stomach and then two-handed smashed her towards the ground. She hit the ground hard, struggling not to collapse, anger flashing across her face at the surprise attack. She glanced up at her attacker, an older looking lean Saiyan male. Aideen rushed at him, her times twenty she always defaulted to burning bright. To Pan's surprise, the Saiyan ducked Aideen's attack and drove a knee up into her stomach before backhanding her away.

"Alright kiddos, which one of you is first?" asked the Saiyan, cracking his knuckles.

Pan frowned, this guy was strong. She glanced towards Haven, feeling Odianna and Aneurin still a ways away and still fighting. The moment Odianna detected that they were in danger she'd head over, but until then they were on their own.

"How about you kid? I heard you were the newest human fighter," said the Saiyan.

Pan rose to her feet and into the air, a grin on her face. "Oh, I wasn't aware I was making a name for myself among you bastards."

The Saiyan laughed. "Yeah, a name as the weakest human that can't even handle third class trash!"

Pan's face burned, she resisted the urge to lunge at him. "I'm curious how you even know anything about me."

Pan watched Aideen position herself behind the Saiyan as they talked. "Oh, we know a lot about you trash, we were making bets the other day on which one of you four would die first."

Rather than take the bait, she merely smirked at him. "Guess you'll never find out."

"Kaio-ken times five!" shouted Pan.

"Kaio-Ken times twenty!" shouted Aideen.

They rushed him together and engaged in a flurry of blows that he dodged, blocked, and deflected. "You humans and your kaio-whatever, using false strength you don't really have and can't sustain!"

WHAM, the saiyan flipped himself up and over the two of them before booting Pan in the back of her head. She cried out and plummeted down, losing the Kaio-Ken and hitting the ground hard. She clutched her head, wincing painfully. Pan rose to her feet, eyeing the battle going on above her. This was going to get out of control real quick.

Pan clenched her fists and rapidly raised and lowered her ki three times, the universal GET OVER HERE sign for Odianna. The Saiyan glanced down at her with a smirk and to her surprise, repeated what she had just done. Immediately, she felt a huge power, definitely a super saiyan, appear and move to engage Odianna. Sweat rolled down Pan's face, this was planned...

The Saiyan backhanded Aideen away and caused her to drop her aura. She sagged a bit to the ground before shaking her head and recovering.

The Saiyan cracked his neck to the left, then cracked it to the right. "Its about time someone finally got around to wiping out your kind. No more screwin around and going after you all loner style. Were gonna peel you humans apart like an onion, one layer at a time."

The Saiyan surged down at Aideen and swung a heavy plow towards her head. "Die!"

"Times twenty-five!" roared Aideen, barely dodging out of the way before turning and booting the Saiyan's head. The Saiyan staggered a ways through the air before turning and massaging his head. He raised a finger and wagged it at Aideen. She took the initiative and rushed him.

Pan rose into the air, powering up to full strength as she did. She was useless in the general fight, she couldn't push her Kaio-Ken high enough to fight head on at their level. She'd have to time it just right to give Aideen the edge she needed to win.

The Saiyan swung a fist, smashing it into Aideen's shoulder. Aideen used the hit to spin herself around before smashing a leg into the Saiyan's head. The Saiyan staggered a bit, an annoyed look on his face. Aideen herself was breathing heavy, sustaining a twenty-five looked like it was draining her heavily. Pan frowned, feeling twitchy, she had to intervene soon, otherwise...

"TIMES THIRTY!" screamed Aideen with pain, surprising Pan.

Her aura exploded and she bum rushed the Saiyan, laying into him in a brutal barrage of blows. Blood flew out of the Saiyan's mouth as Aideen gut punched him hard and then smashed an open palm into his forehead. The Saiyan grunted in pain before throwing out his hands and unleashing a stream of ki blasts, forcing Aideen away. Pan watched with suprise as the Saiyan kept his distance, and kept throwing ki blasts to keep Aideen away...

Pan's eyes went wide. "Aideen! He's stalling!"

"I... know...!" huffed Aideen.

Shit, her power was plummeting, and a moment later, the Saiyan sent her body plummeting as well with a surprise rush and kick to her back. Aideen hit the ground hard, her aura fading, and laid there. Pan felt her ki drop, but not enough for to fear for her life, she might just be unconscious. The Saiyan slowly turned his head, giving Pan a grin. A bead of sweat rolled down Pan's forehead. Aideen was unconscious, and Pan was about to follow, if not be outright killed.

The Saiyan slowly floated towards her. "Any last word's kid?"

Pan gulped and thought furiously before an idea hit her, she waited until he was just infront of her before she glanced past him and shouted with fake relief, "Odianna!"

The Saiyan gave a start and turned his head. "Wha...?"

"TIMES TEN!" Pan yelled, breaking far more past the limit she should have.

She rushed forward and kicked between the Saiyan's legs with all her might. The Saiyan screamed in agony as Pan's leg connected with a crushing impact.

She smashed a leg up into his chin, flew above him as his head rose, and screamed, "FACE!" before shoving both her hands towards his eyes and unleashing ki blasts point blank.

The Saiyan clutched one hand between his legs, one hand over his eyes, screaming again.

Pan grinned before exhaustion hit her and she lost her Kaio-Ken. She couldn't bring out enough energy to stop herself from falling and hit the ground hard. She laid there, watching the Saiyan also lose control and fall to the ground. Unlike her, he landed on his feet, though, he did fall to a knee.

"You... little... bitch...," swore the Saiyan, moving his hands away and slowly rising to his feet.

Pan noted the burned tissue around his eyes as he swerved his head back and forth. She grinned weakly, she had managed to blind him.

"Where the hell are you!" roared the Saiyan.

The Saiyan huffed and huffed before he slowly calmed down. "Mmmm, I'll give you credit kid. Few are the ones who have ever done me in like that. This ain't nothing a healin tank wont fix though."

The Saiyan turned his head towards Pan, a wicked grin growing on his face. Pan breathed in and let it out, feeling frustrated. Damn Saiyan! She thought he'd be down for a least a few minutes after taking that hit. Maybe she should have tried to go in for the kill rather than blind him, as he could feel where she was. She felt around one last time, Odianna had killed the Super Saiyan and was heading their way, but she was still at least a minute out.

The Saiyan stood over her and aimed a hand down. "Sweet dreams ki-"

A red hand erupted through the Saiyan's chest, sending blood everyone. Pan looked at it, shocked, before looking behind the Saiyan and seeing Aideen standing there, breathing hard and with effort. Aideen removed her hand and kicked the Saiyan, knocking him to the ground. Aideen fell to her knees and lost her aura, using her hands to keep her somewhat upright.

"Y-you... wretched... humans... by... tomorrow night... none of you... will be left... alive...," gasped out the Saiyan, who laughed then manically before his ki dropped and he died.

Aideen fell onto her back, her chest rising and lowering with breath, before glancing over at Pan. "You... okay...?"

Pan nodded, sighting Odianna and Aneurin flying towards them. "Yeah... piece of cake... I guess Odianna was right... about fighting dirty."

Odianna landed between the two of them and scowled. "You two going to lay there all day?"

"A little... energy... would be nice," muttered Aideen.

Odianna held out a hand towards both of them and gifted them a bit of her strength. The two of them rose to their feet and wiped sweat from their foreheads.

Odianna nodded. "Lets head back."

"Wait!" said Pan, "The Saiyan said something before he died. He told us none of us would be left alive by tomorrow night."

Odianna frowned. "And? I don't care about the empty threats of dying Saiyans."

With that, she turned and took off, the three of them following.

Pan glanced over at Aideen. "Thanks by the way."

"For what?" asked Aideen.

"Saving me at the end, I was done for," said Pan sheepishly.

Aideen smiled at her and playfully jabbed, "Hell, someones gotta look out for you with all the trouble you get yourself into."

Pan flew over and shoved her. "Nuh uhh!"

Aideen shoved her back. "Yeah huh!"

"Children!" Aneurin called back.

The two of them giggled.

"I mean it though," Pan said faintly, "Thanks."

Aideen nodded. "I wouldn't let anything happen to you Pan."

Pan's face turned a little red with embarrassment before she faced down and picked up speed.

Aneurin crossed his arms and called ahead. "You sure it's empty?"

Odianna glanced back. "What's empty?"

"The threat, these attacks have been really well coordinated, and that last one looked like the Saiyan's were intentionally drawing the two of them away from you to pick them off," said Aneurin.

"They're idiots then, they should have sent the Super Saiyan instead of that oaf, Pan and Aideen would have been dead before I could blink," retorted Odianna.

Pan scowled. "We could have held on a little bit."

"I mean it Odianna, I have a bad feeling about all of this," said Aneurin.

The group came to a stop before Odianna turned to face him, looking irritated. "Why don't you ask your kai in the sky if he can see anything going on then? Don't waste my time with guesswork."

Aneurin nodded and looked up. "Hey! Prince Kai! You there?"

 _Sip_

Odianna growled. "Stop drinking your stupid wine for one blasted second!"

 _"Someone's mood appears to be of a high quality today,"_ came the voice of Prince Kai.

"Can you use check and see if anythings going on near Terra?" asked Aneurin.

 _"One moment, good sir,"_ replied Prince Kai.

A minute later he spoke, _"I detect nothing in the solar system."_

Odianna nodded. "See? Like I said."

"What about outside the solar system?" asked Pan.

 _"Little miss, you are aware that 'outside the solar system' encompasses the entire universe, correct?"_ asked Prince Kai.

Pan scowled. "Okay, nearby solar systems."

There was nothing for a few minutes before a quiet reply came, _"Oh... oh no..."_

Odianna frowned. "What is it?"

 _"If I'm estimating right, a day and a half out, a mothership and at least a hundred attack pods heading your way,"_ said Prince Kai with unease.

Pan's blood went cold, fear ripping up and down her spine. "They... were softening us up..."

"Son of a bitch," swore Odianna, "Back to Haven! NOW!"

They started flying back at top speed and landed at the center of the sanctuary, Odianna immediately began to shout orders. "Harvest whatever you can from the fields! Pack up supplies, and move towards the Lord's Palace! Scavengers! Go out and find as much food as you can! We have an Invasion force heading our way that will be here tomorrow!"

Pan watched as everyone burst into motion, looks of fear and determination on their faces.

Aideen stepped in-front of Pan and then knelt down, putting her hands on Pan's shoulders. "Go help them prepare, and when the attack hits, stay with them and watch over Haven while we go fight them."

"No! I'm going to help fight!" refused Pan.

"You're not strong enough yet!" countered Aideen.

Odianna frowned. "She's far stronger than the regular corps, she can take on second class saiyans, stall elites, and maybe distract a super saiyan."

Aideen stood, turned, and pointed a finger at her. "Don't you dare send her out there to die!"

Odianna glared at her. "Excuse me? It's our duty, your duty, to fight against the Saiyans. I will not coddle and hide her just because your feeling motherly all the sudden. I didn't do that to Aneurin, I didn't do it to you, I will not do it to her."

"She'll get killed!" said Aideen.

"Aideen...," Pan began.

"Don't you say a word," said Aideen.

Pan began to feel vexed, being treated like a child. She knew Aideen meant well, but she wanted to help, even... even if she died! It was frightening, but, if giving her life saved even one other person's, it would be worth it. She closed her eyes, which would probably happen... dammit... if only she was stronger, if only she had more time to train!

Pan opened her eyes. "Time... that's it!"

Aideen glanced at her. "What's it?"

"The time chamber! Send me into the time chamber and I'll get strong enough to help! To make a real difference!" shouted Pan with excitement.

Aideen stared at her silently.

Aneurin frowned. "The time chamber at eight years old? I don't know."

"I can handle it! My Grandpa told me about it before, I know what to expect!" Pan argued.

Odianna nodded. "Lets go then."

Aideen hesitated. "But..."

Pan took off, heading towards the chamber as Odianna shouted, "Change of plans! Someone start gathering food for a time chamber session!"

Thankfully, Odianna didn't baby her! Believed that Pan could handle it, knew she'd become strong enough to help save Haven, save humanity! Pan had begun to cherish Aideen, she had to admit she reminded her of her mom when she had her tomboy moments, but, she didn't need to be babied right now. She needed to get stronger at all costs.

"Follow," said Odianna, landing at a hole in the bottom of the Lord's Palace.

They walked in and moved awkwardly through the lopsided halls. Having fallen on its side, the structure was a bit odd to navigate through. Finally, the came across a door that looked very familiar to Pan, she had seen her Grandpa and Vegeta sneak into it often enough to try and outdo the other to recognize it on sight.

Odianna turned to face her. "It's empty of food and water as of the moment. Wait a minute for someone to go in and stock it a little bit. We will continually bring in food periodically to restock you. The chamber doesn't work when its open, so the restockers will be quick. You will be on your own in there, none of us can go in to train with you or help you if you overdo your training. If you pass out to far from the resting area, the gravity will kill you. Even though you have two days time total, don't spend the entire day and a half before the invasion comes, you need to be out and ready to fight. One day, one year, no more, no less. Tread carefully during the last month, if you injure yourself badly with only a few days before you have to leave, your useless to us."

Pan nodded. "Okay."

Odianna turned and started to walk away before Pan called out, "Odianna!"

She glance back. "What?"

"I... I won't let you down," said Pan.

Odianna stared at her wordlessly for a minute before she spoke quietly and then left, "I know you won't, just be careful in there."

Pan's face burned with pride at the words, the first nice thing Odianna had ever said to her! Pan waited impatiently until a small group came through carrying broken crates of food. Pan opened the door, waited for them to deposit the food, and then after they left, walked in and closed the door behind her.


	11. Time Struggle (Part 1)

_**Potara - Chapter 11: Time Struggle (Part 1)**_

* * *

 _Chamber Day 1_

Pan walked into the Hyperbolic time chamber, standing a few feet in the middle of the room and took a brief look around. She had taken brief looks into Earth's version of it, but had never gone in herself. It looked roughly the same to what she saw, a table, in the main room, three other areas leading towards a bedroom, a bathroom, and a storage area.

Pan took a deep breath and slowly let it out. She remembered dad once telling her about the first time he went out to the steps leading into the 'endless void' where the training took place. He had been shocked at the endless expanse, and had been surprised by the gravity. Slowly, Pan walked out from the main area and towards the steps. She took in the the sight, and endless expanse without end, and took her first step off of the edge. She cringed, struggling not to fall to the ground once the heavier gravity took effect.

She decided to find out her normal limits. She knew she could go out farther with the Kaio-Ken, but wanted to figure out how far she could go on just her normal power, she had to keep in mind Odianna's warning. Pan took one step after another until she fell to her knees, unable to go further. She glanced back and scowled, not nearly far enough for her tastes. Pan crawled back a bit until she could stand and started to exercise. She remembered being told getting used to the gravity first before really going into the training was important.

She frowned as the first hour passed. It was quiet...

The second hour passed, sweat starting to pour down her face with effort. It was far to quiet...

At the end of the third hour, Pan decided to take a break, she walked back to the steps and sat down, frowning and looking around. It was to quiet in here. There wasn't any sounds aside from the ones she made. No wind, no people talking, no animals making sounds, nothing. Dad and Grandpa had never mention this, it was unnerving. She was already desperately wanted to talk with someone.

She blinked a few times. "Jezz Pan! Get ahold of yourself, you haven't even been in here a day yet!"

She threw herself back into training, rushing out farther and farther until she collapsed and had to crawl back, she sighed to herself. "This is going to be a long year..."

* * *

 _Chamber Day 7  
_

Pan walked out into the training area, humming to herself. "Another day, another day to train! Hmm, what level should I start at?"

She had finally gotten used to the gravity a bit from the steps. "Lets go... times five!"

Wooosh! The aura engulfed her, and immediately Pan fell to her knees. "Oh wow... gravity plus Kaio-Ken equals a rough time on the body."

Slowly Pan rose to her feet and started thrusting her fists out. "Waja think Pan? Not to bad, right?"

Pan went silent for a moment. "I think Grandpa would think I'm crazy talking to myself like this."

Pan scowled. She hated the silence of this place, it was horrible and really getting to her. She NEEDED to have some kind of sound, she didn't think she'd be able to make it the whole year otherwise. She'd rather have a Saiyan beating her face in, or Odianna kicking her in the crotch again rather than go through a year of utter silence with no one to talk to.

She frowned. "Screw it. Lets kick up a notch and see if I can double it out here. Times ten!"

* * *

 _Chamber Day 14  
_

Pan painfully pulled herself into bed, a trail of blood following behind her. To high, far to high. What had she been thinking? Her attempt at the times ten last week should have been a wakeup call, what was she thinking trying a fifteen? She could have been killed! She still could be, her muscles were pulsating and rippling, ready to burst at a moments notice. Pan rolled onto her stomach, grabbed a pillow, brought it to her face, bit down, and screamed into it.

* * *

 _Chamber Day 21  
_

Pan started giggling to herself as she began doing sit-ups with the Kaio-Ken on. It was kinda funny watching the fiery aura woosh around as she moved up and down. She had started taking enjoyment in small things like that, fleeting as they were. She had been forced to, bedridden as she had been most of this week, as a means of escape.

She rose to her feet, satisfied with her warmup. "Hmm..."

She examined herself and then whispered, "Times ten."

Woosh, the aura ignited around her. Pan examined herself again, after recovering from almost killing herself with the times fifteen screw up, her power had jumped considerably. She frowned, was it a screw up though? She recalled the Saiyan trait that let them grow stronger after recovering from extreme wounds. She stared at herself, taking in a deep breath and then letting it out. This power boost, she hadn't trained a lot this week, yet, she was already so far stronger than she had been. She scowled, this felt like cheating... but...

An awful, awful idea invaded her mind. If she could tolerate the extreme pain, then, she could boost her power very quickly. She fidgeted, it had hurt so much though. She struggled with herself for a time before slowly, her inhibition fell away and she quietly sobbed to herself. She couldn't let them down, she'd do whatever it took, there was an army of Saiyans coming, she didn't have a choice.

She cupped her hands to her side and began, "Kaaa-meee-haaa-meee..."

She hesitated one final time before thrusting her hands forward. "HAAAA!"

She twisted her arms and forced the kamehameha wave to turn and twist around, aiming straight for herself...

* * *

 _Chamber Day 28_

Pan slowly walked out of the bedroom and sat down on the steps covered in her own dried blood leading to the endless training area. She brought her knees up to her chest and wrapped her arms around them. Her eyes were droopy, and she still felt exhausted. Twice this week she had blasted herself to oblivion. Her clothes were in tatters, her tears were used up, there was blood all over her bed and the chamber, and her pain threshold was shot. Right now, she could hardly even feel her power, forget trying to check what kind of progress she had attained. She needed to sleep, but had remained sleepless for all of last night. She merely sat there, letting the hours go by, brooding to herself.

* * *

 _Chamber Day 35  
_

Pan got up, moving out to the training area before examining herself once more to confirm her fears. She had only just noticed it last night in the shower, noticed her stupidity. Almost killing herself a few times for a quick power boost, sure, her ki had gone up quite a bit, but her body had been wrecked and weakened. She had practically not moved at all for the last two weeks due to being bedridden, her muscles has weakened and lost a little bit of mass due to the lack of use and huge abuse she put them through. If she had a bag of senzu beans, maybe almost killing herself over and over again could have worked, but without them, it was a fool's strategy. She had a lot of time to make up, she was going to have to re-tone her body. Hopefully it wouldn't be more than two to three weeks with a bit of extra eating, and she'd be back in tip top shape.

She began exercising in silence. She wished someone had been able to come in with her, they would have pointed out what she had been doing wasn't right. Not only that, training alone wouldn't be as effective as training with a partner. She could never push herself alone as hard as a partner could. She sighed in frustration before devoting herself to recovering from her mistake.

* * *

 _Chamber Day 42  
_

Pan had to admit, as much as she had started to loath being part Saiyan since she had learned of Terra's history, it had its advantages. She was already back on her feet, body fully recovered, and pushing herself. She was reminded again of her mistake when, even when she had recovered, her body and ki even stronger than before, she hadn't been able to sustain a times fifteen Kaio-Ken. Her body still needed to adapt to the pressure.

Baby steps then. "Times eleven!"

Pan threw herself out into the training area punching and kicking the air as she flew deeper. She had yet to reach the point where the flames and ice her Grandpa had once described to her appeared. She knew when she reached that point, things would really get intense. Until then though, she had to keep it up and trudge forward.

* * *

 _Chamber Day 49  
_

Pan sat on her bed quietly. She had remembered that the time chamber, it was the place when her dad had become a Super Saiyan. It had just hit her all the sudden, she had her chance in here to get something she had wanted all of her life. She knew how to do it, to use intense emotions, rage, the pain of loss. Her dad had been able to do it in a few months with Grandpa's help. Surely she could do the same. She could easily imagine the others being hurt and killed and try to force it to trigger... as much as she didn't want to put herself through that...

But...

Every time she imagined it, the glow of the Super Saiyan form she had once treasured, she saw _him_. The face of the Super Saiyan who had murdered the mother of those two kids back when she had first arrived on Terra. She saw in her mind, made up faces of the Super Saiyans and Ascended Super Saiyans who had devastated this world. The history, what Odianna and the others had went through...

She held up her hand, imagining it one last time in the yellow glow of a Super Saiyan, before she lowered her hands. It was gone, the desire. She couldn't find herself wanting to be like _them_. She didn't want to be Saiyan anymore. She'd grudgingly accept the ability to recover quickly and come back stronger, but, she didn't... she didn't need that horrible yellow power! Not to mention, if she revealed she was part Saiyan, she couldn't predict how the others would react, she might end up dead.

Her held up her hand again and ignited the Kaio-Ken, admiring the red glow. "THIS! This is what I want! This is the only power I need! I don't need the strength of those _monsters_!"

She lowered her hand again, closing her eyes, and snuffing out the aura. "I... I just hope I can become strong enough to save everyone without the power of a Super Saiyan..."

* * *

 _Chamber Day 56  
_

"ahmeeee-haaaaaa!" Pan cried out, thrusting her arms out and shooting off another of her Grandpa's energy waves.

She watched it disappear into the distance before losing her Kaio-Ken and falling to her knees. "Damn... why is... each level so... hard compared to the last...?"

It was taking longer and longer for her body to adapt to each new level of the Kaio-Ken, and was starting to frustrate her. Two weeks and she was barely at a times fourteen. Even with that, eleven through thirteen still felt shaky to hold. Not to mention, her body was slowly starting to show signs of heavy exhaustion again.

Pan sighed to herself. "Maybe the rest of the day off then, a long break would do me some good."

* * *

 _Chamber Day 63  
_

Pan was upside down, using one arm to push herself up and down while humming to herself. "Two-hundred and niiineeety niiineeee, doo doo doo, three hundreeeeeeed!"

Pan flipped herself upright and floated in the air, wondering what to do next. Exercising the same was every day was getting boring, she needed to train someway else or she was gonna go crazy. Maybe...

Pan hopped on one leg and began to spin, trying to see how long she could go before she lost balance and got dizzy. A minute later she fell on her butt and laughed a little before frowning. Not really an effective training method.

She sighed and sat down, extinguishing her Kaio-Ken. What else could she do though?

Pan laid down in the gravity, putting her hands behind her head and just staring up into the white void. "Hmm..."

She rolled over onto her stomach and propped her head up with her hands, a thought striking her. "Maybe I should practice techniques?"

* * *

 _Chamber Day 70  
_

Pan put two fingers to either side of her forehead. "Solar flare!"

Blinding flashes shined out from her, enough to stun and disorient any opponent looking at her. She nodded with satisfaction. Okay, one more technique down, check! While she loved her Grandpa's Kamehameha wave and preferred it over everything else, she had paid attention to his friends whenever they spared. Not to mention, she was her father's daughter as well...

She put her hands together over her forehead, "Masenko-HA!"

She thrust her hands forward and unleashed a blast, BOOM, it hit the ground and exploded. She nodded in satisfaction before frowning and glancing at her hands.

"D-destructo disk!" she shouted.

She cringed as rather than the thin deadly disk attack, she still got a fat pizza with soft edges. She growled with annoyance and threw it to the ground, she had a rough time mimicking some attacks. She really wanted this attack, outside of someone absolutely ridiculously stronger than her, no one could actually block it. It would rip through defenses, and if she could goad a Saiyan into blocking it, easy kill.

Speaking of impossible to defend attacks, she playful put to fingers to her forehead. "Mr. Piccolo, I wish I had asked you how to do the Special Beam Cannon."

She sighed and lowered her hands. She had used a lot of time trying to replicate this ability. She could make a piercing beam attack, but honoring her father's teacher and making it one hundred percent identical with the same power had eluded her. Especially the spiral part of the beam itself and the super high energy output it had.

She scowled, a lot of techniques that looked easy to do hadn't been as such. The tri-beam from Tien Shinhan was deceptively difficult. She could get the same shape, but, nowhere near the same energy output. Whenever Tien did it, it was a really heavy attack, it also looked like it drained him a bit, but she wasn't sure how or why.

She hesitated as her thoughts turned towards Vegeta. She had tried a few times to replicate his Galick Gun and Final Flash. However, she had stopped trying after a few hours of practice when a thought had stuck her. She wasn't sure Vegeta would like her using them. She was fairly certain if he ever caught her using his moves, especially without his explicit permission, he'd flip out. Mmmm, yeah, probably for the best to leave those techniques alone.

"Kamehameha!" Pan suddenly cried out, throwing an energy wave out, then twisting it to come back at her.

Rather than hit her, it passed through her afterimage and exploded into the ground. Pan grinned, it had taken her a bit to figure that one out, but, she was very satisfied with that technique. Though, against stronger opponents who could easily follow bursts of speed, or against someone with really good senses, the afterimage wouldn't be that effective.

Pan frowned, there was one great annoyance she had all this last week. Her friends she had made since coming to Terra, she hadn't learned any signature techniques from them. In fact, she had barely seen them use any ki based attacks at all aside from basic and heavy blasts. It was curious, surely they had to have one, the fox school had to have some kind of special attack. She scowled, she wanted someway to honor them...

Then again...

"Kaio-Ken!" she shouted.

She studied the red aura, and in her mind, went through the motions of the fox style of combat. Maybe she already was honoring them. The Kaio-Ken was the technique of the gods, sure, but, it was a technique that they lived, breathed, and would die by. It was more their own than the gods.

Pan extinguished the red aura and then sat down, nodding slowly before she began to brood on another subject. "All these techniques and styles... they're what I've been taught and replicated. But, what about ME! What techniques have I brought to the table? None."

She scratched her head. "Hrm... how in the world do I go about inventing a technique?"

* * *

 _Chamber Day 77_

Pan had to admit, making up a technique out of nothing was a lot harder than she ever would have thought it would be. Randomly throwing out weird shaped ki blasts and making up names was dumb. Trying to give a specific form and function always had her drawing up blanks, coming up with something useless, or having her make techniques that were pretty much carbon copies of things she already knew.

She sat down, stumped. "Hrm... well..."

Well, maybe she should start from scratch. What exactly was she looking for with a technique? Raw power? Well, she had the Kamehameha wave and the Kaio-Ken to give her that. Utility? She had the Solar Flare and the Afterimage covering that. A finishing, deadly attack? The Destructo Disk, once she worked out a few remaining kinks, would give her that. A quick attack with a decent punch? The Masenko worked there, along with regular ki blasts. Making anything in those categories would just be redundant.

She tilted her head back and rubbed her chin. She really already had her bases covered, so maybe she should look at it from a different perspective. What did she personally want out of it? Something ' _her_ ', to call her own? Something awing? Something scary? Something to send some kind of message?

She thought it over before she decided. "All of the above."

She DID want to send a message. She wanted something so powerful, so awe inspiring, that would drive fear into the Saiyan's hearts and make them never want to come back to Terra! Something that would make them question themselves and wonder maybe if the gods themselves were passing judgement on them.

Pan paused suddenly, a whisper passing her lips, "Judgement..."

She grinned. Judgement, now that was a powerful sounding attack name. Gears in her head starting spinning, and within the hour, she had the basics of the attack she wanted forming within her mind...

* * *

 _Chamber Day 85_

Pan knew she had spent far to much time messing with techniques, far to much time taken away from training. But she wanted this, wanted this so much ever since she had came up with the idea. The last week had been spent finally mastering the Destructo Disk, and then pouring herself into creating and tweaking the appearance and power of her new technique. It was ready... at last it was ready to use!

"Kaio-ken times twenty!" she cried out, pushing herself far above her limits.

She rushed out into the training area and planted her feet down to the ground. She glowered at an imaginary enemy, trying to glare death at him. She held out her hands to her sides, red energy gathering in her hands. She slowly brought her hands together, aiming into the sky.

 _RIPPLE! PULSE!_

Her energy surged up high into the sky far out of vision, but still under her control. Pan immediately knelt down on one knee, bringing her hands down and slamming them into the ground before screaming one word at the top of her lungs.

"JUDGEMENT!"

BOOOOOM! The energy she had sent into the sky crashed down as if from the heavens upon her imaginary foe, bringing him to his knees, pressing him into the ground, and then exploding. The explosion sent Pan flying and knocked the Kaio-Ken out of her.

She laid on the ground, huffing and puffing with exhaustion before a grin slowly spread across her face. "Awesome... my own attack..."

* * *

 _Chamber Day 92_

Three months, Pan was pretty sure she had been in here for around three months. It was time to measure he progress. She felt a little giddy and eager, she had been looking up to Aideen and Odianna since her training with the Kaio-Ken had begun. She would always respect and adore her Grandpa, but, these were the first two woman fighters she had ever met. Miss 18 was strong, but she never really fought. Pan was eager to compare herself to her two teachers and friends.

"Times fifteen!" Pan cried out!

Wooosh! The Kaio-Ken engulfed her and held. She could hold the Kaio-Ken for a bit, and sustain it in bursts for awhile longer. She still felt a little rattled using this level, but it was acceptable. She wasn't up to the twenty that Aideen had, but...

Pan examined her strength. From what she recalled of the day she went into the chamber, she easily matched Aideen's power at times twenty, maybe even stronger...

Eight years old and already about to dwarf her friends power at age twenty. Just by being part Saiyan she could easily spit on so many years of hard work and training. She felt a little ashamed. At least when Aideen burst up to twenty-five and thirty, she was still ahead of Pan, but, not for much longer. Not to mention, those levels were a one time thing, they would gut Aideen's power for the rest of a battle.

Pan relaxed her Kaio-Ken and moved to sit on the steps, wondering where to go from here. Even if she was as strong as Aideen, she couldn't actually match a regular Super Saiyan, probably not even a first time Super Saiyan. Forget about the grade forms, which we far stronger. A mastered Super Saiyan, or a Super Saiyan 2 could probably kill her just by looking at her funny.

Ah what a buzz kill...

Oh well, she was only three months in, she still had another nine to go...


	12. Time Struggle (Part 2)

_**Potara - Chapter 12: Time Struggle (Part 2)**_

 _Chamber Day 97_

Pan yawned, sleepily rising out of bed and making for the storage room. She grabbed an entire basket of apples for breakfast and chowed them down. Another day to train. She had decided that she was going to set goals. Her current one was to get to a times twenty Kaio-Ken. That's the level her Grandpa had gone too, once he said while fighting Freeza, and once fighting Mr. Hit during the first Universal Tournament as a saiyan god.

It was progressing kind of slow for her. After gauging her three month progress, going from a times fifteen to a sixteen was really rough. Its like her body just couldn't properly balance it. It took her near thee minutes to even properly activate it. An opponent would never give her that much time. She could jump to that level and force a times sixteen sure, but, it wouldn't be balanced, and it would burn her out twice as fast and risk devastating her body.

Pan was a bit fearful she was somehow reaching a natural limit. Despite her strength, she was still only had an eight year old body. Not to mention, she recalled that whenever she had seen Aideen go above a times twenty, it had physically hurt her, not just drained, but hurt. Was there a limit on how much a mortal body could take?

She hoped not...

* * *

 _Chamber Day 104  
_

Pan sat at a table in the main room in the time chamber, munching away on grapes and nuts. The food crates were starting to get rather thin and lackluster. Not that she had a right to complain, she was just a bit worried, not about herself, but about the people of Haven. She knew they had a storehouse of somewhat preserved food using what few refrigerators and other containers that worked, Either they were running low, or scrambling to keep getting food to her in time before she ran out.

Regardless, to support her progress in the chamber, they were giving up an entire years worth of food, spaced out over intervals where the chamber was stocked as to not let the food spoil. She hadn't caught one of the restockers yet, she was sure she was always asleep or out training whenever they sneaked in. She just... she just didn't want to think that people might go hungry because of her.

She walked into the storeroom and examined what food was left. Perhaps it was best to ration it, just incase, she didn't always have to eat to her fill after all. When the next restocker noticed, they'd bring less next time, hopefully.

She nodded to herself, that was the best bet. Besides, its not like her progress was extreme anymore. She could afford to tone down her training a little bit as to not need as much energy...

* * *

 _Chamber Day 111_

Pan smirked to herself, so much for toning it down. Fire raged around her, ignited by the extreme heat out here in the depths of the time chamber. She had finally reached the really challenging areas of the time chamber, at last.

WOOSH a wave of fire washed over her. Pan ground her teeth, resisting as best as she could. All of the sudden, the heat vanished. She blinked, growing confused, and tried to take a step forward, only to find her legs frozen to the ground. Crap...

"Times eighteen!" she cried out, pushing herself ahead.

 _BURST_! The ice shattered, releasing her legs. She flew up into the air and was surprised to find snow falling. How the heck was there snow in this place without clouds or rain or anything like that? This place was weird... woah... woaaaaahhhhh!

She gave a yelp as a tornado of snow started sucking her in and trying to pull her deeper into the chamber. Pan grimaced and braced herself against it, trying to pull herself back. Suddenly, the ice melted, and for a moment, she was submerged in water before it evaporated and the tornado was engulfed in fire.

 _sizzle_

Pan gave a yelp of pain, her gi, her hair, her skin was on fire! Enough was enough, it was time to head back. She cringed, trying her best to push through the fire vortex. Shit, her power was draining fast, if she lost her Kaio-Ken in this it was over for her.

"TIMES TWENTY!" she roared, shoving through and launching herself towards the rest area as hard as she could...

* * *

 _Chamber Day 118_

Pan stood next to her bed, feeling sad and holding her gi. Her favorite gi, already in horrific shape, was utterly ruined by this last week of training out in the depths of the chamber. She might as well be wearing nothing with how ripped it was.

She scowled, her temper flaring at the sight of her destroyed childhood treasure. She moved over to the second bed in the chamber and gently set her gi down on it. She didn't really feel like training naked, so, she began to look through the chamber, seeing if she could find anything else to wear...

* * *

 _Chamber Day 125_

Pan slid a simple black shirt over her head to replace the last one she had destroyed before stretching out. Always remember to stretch out before training Grandpa had told her, could really hurt yourself if you didn't he said.

"Alright, break times over, lets go," Pan ordered herself, "Times eighteen!"

Pan watched herself and kept her senses directed inward. She had made okay progress these last two weeks. Times fifteen was finally stable, and she was working on sixteen through eighteen. She still wasn't really sure if holding herself at the lower levels, or pushing the higher ones, was the best way to go, but, she really wanted to at least be able to maintain times twenty in short bursts...

* * *

 _Chamber Day 132_

Pan walked back to her room, one shaky step at a time. All of this week she had been forcing herself to train at times twenty, ignoring her body's screaming. She... she wasn't even half way through the day yet... but... so tired... so very... tired...

* * *

 _Chamber Day 139_

Pan did her daily stretches, minding not to overdue it. Her body had collapsed at the end of last week, she had taken this last one easy. Though, it was boring to do so. Sitting around in bed or at the table made her blood boil with agitation. Maybe if she had someone to talk to it wouldn't be so bad. She wondering how the others were doing. She wasn't exactly sure how much time had passed outside, but she knew it hadn't been to long. Was everyone still scrambling to prepare? Or were they all hunkered down and just waiting?

They weren't the only one she was curious about. What were her family doing? She felt in her heart that they were probably giving it their all to find her and bring her home. The only thing was... she wasn't sure she could bring herself to leave. The humans of Terra needed her help. Even though Odianna was immortal, she could only be at one place at a time. Terra needed as many protectors as possible. Maybe if her family arrived they'd be willing to help out. Grandpa would surely want to challenge other Saiyans... wait...

Pan's eyes went wide with fear. Oh no... Grandpa, he was a Saiyan, if her family stumbled into this dimension and encountered Odianna, she'd try to kill them! She'd fail, to be sure, but encountering them would ruin everything. She'd lose all of her friend's trust...

Pan bowed her head, a thought striking her. Did she even deserve their trust? She had keeping her heritage from them the entire time. Maybe when she got out of here, or after the upcoming Saiyan attack, she'd reveal the truth. They deserved to know about the bile flowing through her veins, about her Saiyan blood. She was mostly human, maybe they could look past it...

* * *

 _Chamber Day 146_

Times twenty, about damn time. She could finally maintain it in short bursts instead of one time stints that wrecked her body. She flew around the time chamber main area a few times, smiling with a wide childish grin.

"Teee heeeeeeee," Pan cheered for herself.

She almost wished she had a cake or something to celebrate... wait a second... cake, like a birthday cake... birthday...

Pan landed on the steps, a thought striking her. What month was it? She had been roughly half way through her eight year of life before she had come to Terra, she ought to be somewhere close to turning nine if she hadn't already. She grinned and spun around of a single foot, feeling a little happy at growing another year older. Though, how exactly did that work with the time chamber flowing fast and being outside the time chamber where only a day had passed? Was she technically nine? Or technically eight?

She grew confused for a moment before shaking her head and shrugged. "Whatever, I'll take Grandpa's example and not worry about the details."

She giggled to herself before slowly, she looked around the room, growing a little sad. "Wish I had someone to celebrate with."

She sighed. "Oh well, I know what my birthday present would be from Odianna. A day full of super hard training, joy."

She giggled again before walking out into the training area. "Time to open that gift then..."

* * *

 _Chamber Day 153_

Pan was satisfied, she could maintain the times twenty for a little bit, longer with short bursts. Though, she had to admit, it took a lot out of her. Ah well, her control over that level would only grow. It was time to take things up to the next level, time to personally go beyond the level her Grandpa had!

She chided herself. "Only reason Grandpa didn't was because he had Super Saiyan. Who knows, if he ever had a reason to, he'd probably go higher with his god ki."

Pan trembled with excitement and moved to the steps leading to the training area. "Okay okay okay, lets see. Aideen went up to a times twenty-five against that Super Saiyan when I first got here. He might have been toying with her, and been a weak Super Saiyan, but, she was at least somewhat in range of his power not to be beaten in one hit. I'm pretty sure if I went twenty-five now, being way stronger than Aideen, I could have matched that Super Saiyan. Well, at least until my stamina was shot. Ah well, it's all about baby steps, I'm getting there."

She grew giddy. "I should probably go a twenty-one and work my way up, but, oh I can't wait, I gotta try a twenty-five! Okay! It's go time!"

Pan calmed herself and went through the motions to prepare herself, calming, focusing, grabbing all of her ki, and preparing her body. "Kaio-Ken times twenty-five!"

For a split second, she had it, felt a rush of power so high it made her head feel light. Then, her eyes went wide, and blood gushed out of her nose. Her heart began to pound like crazy, her muscles bulged and began to spasm nonestop. She fell to her knees as pain ripped through and screamed at the top of her lungs. Her Kaio-Ken cut off, she gave off one horrific sob, and then pitched forward and collapsed unconscious.

* * *

 _Chamber Day 160_

Pan laid in her bed, not understanding what she was doing wrong. Going above a times twenty at any point was horrible. Unlike the teens of the Kaio-Ken, the sheer difficulty was insane. And also unlike the teens, jumping ahead to levels beyond what she could manage caused horrific instant pain. She was forced to crawl and drudge her way through the times twenty-one, and it felt like he progress had slowed to almost a standstill with how long she had to wait between training sessions to recover her strength and stamina.

She didn't understand, Aideen had shown some pain when she had gone to twenty-five and thirty, sure, but she hadn't shown the crazy muscle spasms nor the degree of pain Pan had felt. She hadn't been rendered unconscious instantly either.

"DAMMIT! What am I doing wrong?!" Pan yelled in frustration.

Once again, as she began to wonder if she had hit some kind of limit on what her body could handle. "No... NO! I refuse!"

She couldn't accept that, she wasn't strong enough yet! She needed to be able to take on a real Super Saiyan! Not some first time or pathetic one, but a strong one! She needed, she had to prove to herself that she didn't need that power, that she could fight them without using their transformation. Aideen and Aneurin tried their hardest, but all they, and her by extension, could handle was the fodder of the Saiyan race. Once a Super Saiyan appeared they had to either sit on the sidelines or run away as to not be used against Odianna. If she couldn't... if she couldn't get strong enough, then she'd be useless.

Pan buried her face in her pillows, sobbing muffled sobs. "I'm not useless... I'm not..."

* * *

 _Chamber Day 167_

Pan began to slowly fly back to the steps of the training area, feeling exhausted. She had made ' _some_ ' progress. It didn't hurt to go times twenty-two anymore. Small relief, it still guttered her power in one combo or Kamehameha wave. She was pretty sure if she used her Judgement attack she'd either die or be rendered unconscious at the expenditure.

She sighed. "This is stupid... I'm not making any real progress anymore."

She landed and started heading for her bedroom before pausing, looking at the time chamber door. For the first time since she had entered here, she considered calling it quits. She hesitated for only a second before reprimanding herself.

"Stupid girl! You can't quit! If you do then people are going to die!" she yelled.

"Just... just go take a nap, then go right back out there and train! You'll surely make some progress!" she ordered herself, not really feeling like their was any truth in her own words...

* * *

 _Chamber Day 174_

Pan hung her head, feeling defeated. She hadn't even been able to make it to a times twenty-three this week without collapsing. She figured her body wasn't old enough, or she was just couldn't hack it. Slowly, step by step, she moved towards the door leading out of the chamber. She sniffled, feeling ashamed and embarrassed. Finally, she stood in front of the door, staring at the door knob. She just wanted it to end... she just wanted to leave... to stop being all alone and putting her body through horrific pain...

This stupid room, she had such high hopes for coming in here. Her Grandpa and Father's stories of being in here had fueled her drive to train. Now, it just felt like empty hope. They had trained in here, gotten her dad Super Saiyan, gotten their grade forms, and then their mastered states.

"Dammit," Pan cursed, both at her situation, and herself.

It just wasn't fair! The Kaio-Ken burned worse than any transformation possibly could! Stupid Super Saiyans! Their transformation made it so easy. Just train and bulk up and everything was fine. The knowledge of their mastered Super Saiyan state made her feel even worse. To be able to maintain that form none stop without any energy burn or stamina loss was ridiculous.

She put her hand on the door knob. "It's not fair, its not like the Kaio-Ken could be mastered to such a state..."

She froze. "Mastered to such a state..."

Her eyes went wide. "Wait... could it?"

She backed away from the door slowly, thinking furiously. All they ever did was push themselves as high as they could to end a fight quickly, fearing to drain all their power. Once they improved their Kaio-Ken, the earlier levels were all but forgotten in the struggle for more and more power. Was that the right way though? Could she learn to wear the Kaio-Ken like a second skin?

Pan narrowed her eyes, turned away from the door, and made for the steps. She stood there, gazing out into the white void, a new determination burning in her heart. There was only one way to find out...

* * *

 _Chamber Day 181_

Pan sat at the table, sipping water from a canteen and tapping her finger's impatiently, but lightly, against the table. Resting at a regular Kaio-Ken, merely doubling her power, had been a rather trying experience. Sitting around all day, or only doing light training, was boring and frustrating, but, she knew she was making real progress. The first few times, she had only been able to stay in the state for an hour tops, regardless of how weak it was compared to the higher levels. Her heart just started beating crazy and she had a hard time breathing all of the sudden when she reached that threshold, like there was some unseen stress putting a clamp on it. She had a hunch that doing this wasn't the same as doing it as a Super Saiyan, there might be some long term danger from this, but she was willing to risk it.

Slowly, the timer increased, her body could tolerate being in the base Kaio-Ken longer and longer. Her current record was five hours, followed by a quick nap, where she could then do another five hours. She smiled, being able to almost naturally be twice as strong as she was normally was kind of cool. Though, breaking stuff and having the aura on all the time was a little distracting...

* * *

 _Chamber Day 188_

Pan didn't understand what had happened at first. All of the sudden, when she had activated her base Kaio-Ken for the day, the aura didn't appear. Her hair and eyes changed to red like normal, her skin tinted a little bit, and her power doubled like normal, but, the fiery aura didn't appear. The stamina drain and shortness of breath was almost none-existent, she was fairly certain she could hold the regular base Kaio-Ken for the entire day if she really wanted to.

She sat down on her bed, pondering the development. It had taken two weeks to reach this point, to make the base Kaio-Ken her default state. Though, that wasn't the full truth, it still drained her, just as beyond a snail's pace. She still didn't know if maintaining it like this would have any long term effects on her health or not, but, if she ever made it home, its nothing a Senzu bean couldn't repair.

"Times three," Pan whispered.

Immediately the aura reappeared and Pan scowled. She'd have to go another few weeks probably to get the times three at the same state as the regular Kaio-Ken. Oh well, though, she did have one other thing she wanted to try. She moved out to the training area.

Pan tensed for a moment and braced herself. "Times twenty-five!"

WOOSH! The aura exploded around her, but, unlike before, there was no pain. The stamina drain was still a bit rough, but, it wasn't physically harming her to use this level. Pan grinned, she grinned like a madman. She had just gained access to the higher levels of the Kaio-Ken...

* * *

 _Chamber Day 195_

Pan hummed to herself, quietly moving about in a natural times three state. It had surprised her how quickly she had adapted to this level compared to the basic Kaio-Ken. She couldn't say she was displeased. She'd begin mastering the times four state in a little bit, but, she wanted to do some calculations first. She flew up to the clock in the time chamber, examining it. She was a little over half way done her day in the time chamber. She figured hopefully she'd have enough time to master her state up into the higher levels. She nodded in satisfaction before floating down to continue her light training.

* * *

 _Chamber Day 202  
_

It seemed like it was a week per mastered level of Kaio-Ken, she was comfortably resting at a times four. She was glad that she mastering the base levels allowed her to slowly push her maximum levels, but, there was a problem. This wasn't doing her normal, overall power that much good. Her base, and thus what was multiplied, wasn't increasing much. She thought for a moment, perhaps she should alternate? Switch between trying to master a level, and then switch to some real training to improve overall?

She nodded with satisfaction. "Yeah, that'll do. I hope your ready body, its time to start the real training now!"

* * *

 _Chamber Day 207_

Another week, another mastered level of Kaio-Ken. She was surprised that alternating between training types hadn't slowed her down. For the first time since she had entered here, she felt true pride, she was making legitimate progress. Though, she did have to admit, the monotone routine was a little aggravating...

* * *

 _Chamber Day 214_

Pan felt greedy. An idea had struck her all of the sudden. Why crawl forward like this?

"Kaio-Ken times ten!" she shouted.

She grinned, watching the aura ignite around her. It was time to skip ahead and monumentally increase her progress. Maybe it would take longer, jumping from a mastered times five state to trying to master a times ten, but, it's rewards could be astronomical! She'd take it easy for the first few days, but after that, business as usual...

* * *

 _Chamber Day 221_

She hadn't quite mastered the times ten state. She saw some of the signs of mastery coming around, mainly the extreme time she could keep it up, but she still had a ways to go. More importantly though, she was ready to try something else.

"Times thirty!" she shouted!

WOOOOOSH! The aura ignited around her. "Huff, huff, whew, this... is intense..."

She grinned and flexed her arms, teasing herself. "Tee hee, this power feels amazing!"

"Alright then," she said, "Times thirty-one!"

Woosh! She held the aura and examined her hands, this was great, it...

 _thump thump thump_

It...

 _thump thump thump_

Her heart was racing like crazy, she didn't feel pain, but, this speed was unnatural.

 _thump thump thump_

Fearfully, Pan canceled her Kaio-Ken and clutched a hand to her heart and began to breath in and out as her heart rate slowly resumed its normal pace. She wiped the sweet from her forehead. That had been uncomfortable, borderline terrifying. It... hadn't hurt, but, that speed was scary. She had figured something might happen when she went to the thirties, as it did for the twenties, but, this was an unknown. She didn't think it was safe to go above a times thirty yet...

* * *

 _Chamber Day 221_

Finally, she had finally mastered the times ten Kaio-Ken and was wearing it like a second skin. She felt like a little kid in a candy store. She was walking around naturally ten times as strong as she normally was! It was awesome. She grinned, the Saiyans would never know what was coming for...

She paused. "Wait..."

Her eyes went wide. "SHIT!"

There was a drawback she hadn't thought about. She was ten times as strong sure, but she was also ten times more visible to someones senses. She'd be like a beacon and could never get the drop on her opponent for a sneak attack. She began to swear nonstop to herself until she finally manager to reign in her temper. Okay, lets see, could she suppress her power once she had the Kaio-Ken up...?

She frowned, unable to do so. "Dammit, it isn't like mastering Super Saiyan at all! It's just a more permanent boost, not a new natural state..."

"Okay, I've got a permanent target on my forehead once I go Kaio-Ken, so what?" she muttered.

She'd have to make due with the drawback and just remain in her base state until it was time to fight. For now, she'd keep going as is. Anyway, it was time to move to the next step.

"Times fifteen!" she yelled.

She nodded to herself, examining her aura. Time to master a times fifteen.

She sat down and waited for the time to pass by.

An hour passed by...

Pan began to suddenly feeling odd. There was a sudden tightness to her chest that she didn't understand. She frowned, massaging her ribs, feeling uncomfortable. It didn't really hurt... it was a steady pressure, but...

She winced, what the hell... her left arm from her shoulder down to her elbow had suddenly started to hurt, there was an odd pain between her shoulder blades. Her right side suddenly drooped, feeling numb. Her back started hurting moments later. Pan winced as a new sensation hit her, wow, it felt like she had just eaten something super super acidy, she was getting a heavy heartburn all of the sudden. Cold Sweet began to pour down and she clutched her chest with a hand. Her breath was shortening, becoming weak, and she started to feel nausea followed by fatigue.

S-stop...

She shook her head, took a deep breath, and canceled her Kaio-Ken. The sensations and pain didn't stop. Pan tried to stand, fell to her knees, and began to crawl towards her bedroom.

W-what... what was going on...?

* * *

 _Chamber Day 228_

It had taken her a little bit to figure it out, but she had. Nine years old. She was nine fricken years old, and she had not one, but two heart attacks. The first after trying to master a time fifteen. The second was one she figured she'd just try to baby step it again and master a times eleven. It had still happened, she still had a heart attack.

She trembled in fear, not of dying, but of having reached an insurmountable limit. She knew she was lucky she wasn't dead. If her body didn't heal like a Saiyan, she'd probably be dead right now. She figured her Saiyan biology would repair the heart damage over time, but, the fact still stood. She couldn't master beyond a times ten Kaio-Ken. She couldn't risk trying it again, if she had a third attack, she might not live through it. There wasn't just a little chance, but a heavy one that if she tried to push this issue, she would die. It just... it wasn't natural, wasn't feasible for a mortal body she figured.

She bowed her head in silent defeat.

She sighed. "I'll give myself some time to recover, then, I'll just switch back to normal training..."

* * *

 _Chamber Day 235_

It just got worse and worse...

She had decided to test her maximum. She figured by now she ought to be stable into the thirties of the Kaio-Ken. The moment she had went times thirty-five, that intense heart-rate she had felt the last time she had went times thirty-one returned. What was worse, it was still there when she went times thirty-one to try to baby step it.

She powered down, frowning. "Hmm... well... its not like what I felt with the heart attacks, so..."

She was very hesitant, but, she decided to try training at that level anyway. "Times thirty-one!"

WOOSH! Immediately Pan threw herself into a barrage of punches and kicks followed by a Kamehameha wave. The moment it left her hands, her Kaio-Ken dropped out of existence, her power plummeted, and an heavy exhaustion took ahold of her, preventing her from doing anything but breathing heavily.

She sat there, bewildered. This wasn't like how she normally lost power as she tired, it had just dropped like the water in a sink if you suddenly removed the bottom. What in the world was this...?

* * *

 _Chamber Day 242  
_

Pan took off her clothes and silently moved to the second bed in the time chamber before gently grabbing her gi and putting it on. After, she grabbed the clothes she had just had on and slipped them on over her ruined gi. Silently, she walked into the main area and stood there, her arms crossed.

It was over. Her limits had been found and met. No matter what she tried, no matter what she did, anything above a times thirty gutted her power. Whether it was a times thirty-one, or a times forty. She'd get one combo, one single combo or heavy ki attack, then her power was gone and she was left defenseless. She could not master anymore levels of Kaio-Ken, she could not push herself to maintain the highest levels of Kaio-Ken. She was to scared of the consequences to try even going above a times forty even for one combo. It was over, the limits of a mortal body had been found.

She brooded to herself. It was sad in a way, she had managed to come so far. She ought to be proud, no, she was proud of how far she had come. She was now the second strongest person on Terra without question. She knew she could temporarily match and maybe even kill regular Super Saiyans with her power. But... anything above that, any of the grade forms, or a mastered Super Saiyan, she couldn't match them.

Maybe, one day, she could push up her base power to the point where she could match a mastered Super Saiyan with the Kaio-Ken. Though, she doubted she could ever match a Super Saiyan 2. But, for now, she was tired of this. The training had worn out its welcome, as had the loneliness. It was time to leave.

With a small nodded to herself and one last fleeting look around, she walked to the door, opened it, and left the time chamber.


	13. Terra's Fall

_**Potara - Chapter 13: Terra's Fall**_

* * *

Pan walked out of the chamber and looked to her right, sighting two tired children, the very same ones she had saved her first day on Terra, sitting next to food crates holding a watch, "So, you two were the one's feeding me, eh?"

The two children gave a start and glanced up, "Wah?!"

She smirked. "Surprise! I'm done."

She motioned down the hall. "Go on, scoot you two and go get some sleep."

The both nodded, grabbed the food crates, and ran down the hall tiredly. Pan smiled, watching them go, before letting her senses take in the area. She detected Odianna, Aideen, and Aneurin, surprisingly, directly above her high up in the air. Pan thought for a moment, trying to work over what she was going to say to them. Her smile turned into a smirk, better to let her actions speak louder than words. She powered up to a mastered double Kaio-Ken and made her way out of the Lord's Palace. Afterwords, she started to float up, sighting the three of them sitting on the edge of the palace, illuminated by moonlight. Finally, she reached them, and floated a ways infront of them.

Odianna frowned. "It hasn't been a full day yet."

Pan nodded. "I know, but, I'm not really getting any stronger anymore, to be honest, I think torturing myself in that place is going to only make things worse."

Aneurin nodded. "Its wise to recognize one's limits. Though, I am surprised to feel how much stronger you've become."

Aideen leaned forward, her eyes squinting. "Pan... what's up with your hair...?"

Pan grinned, floating a little closer. "Oh, I dunno, you tell me."

Odianna stared at her, dumbfounded. "What the... her hair and eyes, its like she's in the Kaio-Ken, but..."

Aideen glanced towards Odianna. "Isn't this kinda like..."

Pan was surprised to see fury cross Odianna's face. "Like the damn mastered Super Saiyan state! I've been such a fool!"

Odianna clenched her fists. "Stupid! I've had years, YEARS since we first fought a mastered Super Saiyan. Why did I never think of this?!"

She shook in fury for a minute before slowly, she calmed down. "Stupid, that's all I have to say of myself. I got complacent in my power and trump card. I never bothered to look for another path."

She gave Pan a wry smile. "I'll give you credit Pan, that was an ingenious idea to master the Kaio-Ken like that. How high have you mastered?"

Pan face fell. "I'm in a double right as to not wake everyone, but, I can't master above a times ten, it just starts wrecking my body and causing a lot of damage."

Odianna nodded thoughtfully. "I see, however, that won't be the case for me."

Pan blinked a few times in confusion. "Would it be useful to you? Can't you already sustain the Kaio-Ken times fifty anyway?"

Odianna smirked. "I can, sure, but, I can't do it like your doing right now. Which means, I still have room to grow. It's been a long time since I've been able to say that about myself."

Odianna nudged Aideen over a bit and patted the spot next to her. "Alright you, get over here."

Pan smiled, she smiled a smile so big she thought her face was going to split. She flew over and sat down between them, feeling a happiness she hadn't felt for so long. It was so good to be with other people again... it...

Aideen looked at her. "What's wrong Pan?"

"I... I've just missed you guys so much," said Pan weakly, "Being alone in there was awful."

Aideen reached an arm around her neck and drew Pan into a hug. "I'm sorry you had to go through that Pan, but, I have to admit, if you've become as strong as I think you've become, your far stronger than I am. I don't think I'll need to worry about you that much."

Pan grinned sheepishly and hugged back. "Tee hee..."

"How high can you take the Kaio-Ken?" asked Aneurin, "Aideen fights usually at a twenty, and can burst up to a thirty for a very short duration. How much more can you do?"

Pan shook her head. "It's not possible to sustain higher than that. I can fight at a times thirty for a bit, but, going any higher guts my power instantly after one combo. Doesn't matter the level. I'm left completely drained and defenseless afterwards."

Odianna nodded. "Then don't do it. Stick to a thirty, its more than enough to keep you alive and fighting. Just remember, try to leave the Super Saiyans to me, you could probably hold your own for a little bit, but don't get in over your head."

Pan nodded. "Okay."

They sat there, for a time, the four of them staring up into the night's sky, a gentle breeze blowing past them. Pan wished that she could stay there forever with them, in that single moment. For once, everything just felt so right to her.

"Alright you three need to go get some sleep," ordered Odianna.

Pan could have scowled, ruining the moment like that, dammit Odianna.

Aneurin sighed. "I suppose, I'll do a round first then hit the bed."

Aideen got up and started to float down. "See you tomorrow."

Pan watched them, go, mulling a decsion over in her mind. Odianna... she deserved to know about Pan's heritage...

"Well? Go get some sleep," ordered Odianna.

"I... um... there's... something I... want to talk to you about," Pan began to stammer.

Odianna glanced at her, eyebrow raised. "What is it Pan? We have Saiyans to slaughter tomorrow, you'll need yourself at full strength with a good nights sleep."

Pan winced, suddenly losing a lot of confidence. "W-well..."

Odianna crossed her arms. "I'm waiting."

Pan stared at her, trembling a bit, before she lost her nerve. "I just... umm..."

Odianna sighed. "Don't worry about tomorrow Pan, just focus on the here and now, and when it begins, doing whatever it takes to survive."

Survive... yeah, maybe she should wait until after the invasion to tell them. There was a chance... well... that she wouldn't even live, and that fact brought a different pain. She didn't want to die here, to be lost and forgotten... forgotten...

"Odianna? Can I teach you something?" asked Pan.

"Eh?" said Odianna, "Teach me what? You already gave me the mastered Kaio-Ken to work towards."

Pan bowed her head. "I... want to teach you my Grandpa's technique, to remember me by, if I don't make it tomorrow."

Odianna went silent for a minute before she finally spoke, her voice soft. "Alright Pan, but, make it quick, you need to sleep."

They flew down to the training grounds, and with a mixture between happiness and sadness, Pan began to teach her the Kamehameha wave...

* * *

 _The next day..._

"Pan, wake up you sleepyhead," a voice sounded.

Pan blinked a few times, sat up, yawned, and stretched. "I'm up, I'm up."

Aideen smirked at her. "You snore loudly."

"Your one to talk," Pan shot back.

They both giggled like little girls for a minute before silence took over the room.

"Where's Aneurin and Odianna?" asked Pan.

"Aneurin's meditating ontop of the Lord's Palace, and when I woke up this morning, I detected Odianna on the other side of the world. Not sure exactly what she's doing. She's on her way back though," said Aideen.

Pan nodded, "Okay, well, lets go get some breakfast!"

Aideen nodded and ruffled Pans' hair. "Yeah, were gonna need all of our strength for today."

They moved together and ruffled through the storehouse, grabbing a stack of crates each and munched down. A few minutes later, Odianna flew back and, to Pan's suprise, had a small, worn out fox hermit gi in her hands. Pan was shocked when she handed it to her.

"It... took me awhile to find my old gi from when I was your age, I want you to have it," said Odianna.

Pan was speechless. She took the gi in her hands, staring at it in wonder. Another gi, another treasure. Pan took off her secondary clothes and slid her fox hermit gi over the ruins of her turtle hermit one. She examined herself, smiling, and starting to sniffle.

She threw herself at Odianna and gave her a hug. "Thank you! It... it means so much to me!"

For the first time since they met, Odianna looked a little embarrassed. "Its... not a problem. If your going to fight for us, you ought to wear our gi, t-thats all."

Pan gigled. "Yeah, sure."

 _"If your done with your moment, the Saiyans are coming,"_ Prince Kai's voice came crudely into their minds.

Odianna scowled. "We know they're coming, we still have a few hours to go."

 _"No, their ships began accelerating the moment they entered the solar system,"_ warned Prince Kai, _"They'll be entering Terra's atmosphere within minutes."_

Odianna gave a start and separated herself from Pan. "What?! You damn old coot! You should have told us earlier!"

Odianna flew up high and began to shout orders. "Everyone! WAKE UP! The Saiyans will be here in minutes! Get to cover! Now! Defense Corps, stay here and guard everyone, leave the Saiyan's main force to us!"

Panic, that's the only word Pan saw as people began to run this way and that way.

Aneurin flew down to them. "They need more time."

Odianna scowled. "We'll hold them off as best we can"

Pan's mind began to spin, she had just woken up, and they were already going to fight!

She blinked a few times. "Wait a second, why not take the fight to them?"

Odianna glanced at her, eyebrow raised. "To them?"

Pan nodded. "They're all still in ships right? Have a big mothership? What if we hit them as they enter Terra's atmosphere? Blow up their ships before they can even land! That way their invasion force is cut down before the battle even begins!"

Odianna blinked a few times before an almost sinister grin began to cover her face. "Pan, I like the way you think. Let's go, keep our power suppressed as to not alert them."

They began to fly up into the air, heading above the clouds. Pan began to sweet, she could already feel the oncoming mass of energy. There was so much of it... and none of the Saiyan's were even powered up yet from what she could feel. They had to cull them! If they took on that full force, it was over.

"Oh my mark, not a moment before. When I say so, power up. I'll blow up the mothership, you three try to destroy as many attack pods as you can," ordered Odianna.

They all nodded and waited.

Pan gulped, finally seeing the circular mothership enter the atmosphere along with tons of attack pods.

"NOW!" shouted Odianna.

"Times Ten!" shouted Aneurin and Pan.

"Times twenty!" shouted Aideen.

"Times fifty!" shouted Odianna.

Odianna unleashed a beam into the mothership. Pan, Aneurin, and Aideen unleashed sweeping ki waves, trying to hit as many pods as possible.

BOOOM!

The mothership exploded, tons of attack pods were destroyed. For a brief moment, Pan felt victory, but then, she felt it, and then she saw it. Over a dozen yellow glowing specs flew out of the mothership's explosion cloud, heading their way.

"I'll take the Super Saiyans! Finish off the attack pods!" shouted Odianna before flying off to take the Super Saiyans on.

For a brief moment, Pan felt awed to see her going to take them all on like that, before the fact Odianna was immortal reasserted itself in her mind. Pan shook her head and flew off, aiming blasts at oncoming attack pods.

BOOM BOOM BOOM! More and more of them exploded. Pan positioned herself infront of the descent of one and unleashed a Kamehameha wave at it, destroying it. She gave a startled cry when out of the destruction cloud came the yellow glow of a Super Saiyan. The Super Saiyan surged at her and swung a heavy overhead fist.

"Times thirty!" Pan cried out.

She activated it just before the Super Saiyan hit her. The impact was still massive, and Pan was sent plummeting through the clouds. She tumbled head over heels, unable to right herself or slow down.

She gave a cry and threw off ki towards the ground just before she hit, stopping her descent. She floated there for a moment before she felt a massive ki signiture barreling towards her. Pan barely managed to dodge to the side as the same Super Saiyan ripped through the air where she had been. Pan gave a warcry and threw herself at him, unleashing a flurry of blows.

Block block block, the Saiyan blocked them all before suddenly countering and slamming a fist into her face. Pan was sent flipping head over heels backwards before she righted herself, massaging her cheek and wiping a bit of leaking blood from her mouth.

The Super Saiyan sneered at her. "I'll give you some credit worm, your not half bad for a human. I'll have your name so I know what to put under your head when I mount it on my trophy wall."

Pan glared at him. "It's Pan! And I'll have yours so I can do the same you sick scumbag!"

The Super Saiyan laughed. "I am Tato, and you will have the privilege of being the first human to die by my hands!"

Tato surged at her and swung a heavy two handed blow. Pan threw herself above it and spun, slamming a kick right into his face. The Super Saiyan spun through the air before righting himself. Pan's eyes went wide, he barely had a bruise after a direct hit that! Oh shit...

Tato took advantage of her moment of fear and rushed her, letting into her with a barrage of quick hits followed by an overhead smash that sent her into the ground, leaving a small crater in the ground. Pan winced and rubbed her back, crap, this wasn't good. He was stronger than she was, even with the times thirty! She would only be able to hold this for a few minutes, maybe even less depending on how badly she got hurt. She only had one chance, she'd have to hit him with a one time high level Kaio-Ken.

"Oh, I'm sorry, did I hit you too hard, little girl?" mocked Tato.

Pan rose to her feet and glared at him. "Not as hard as I'm about to hit you."

Tato sneered at her. "Oh really? Bring it on, I'll give you one free hit."

One free hit. Pan remembered Odianna telling her just how to respond to this.

"Okay then, YOU ASKED FOR IT!" she shouted.

"TIMES FORTY!" Pan roared.

WOOOSH! Her aura exploded around her.

"KAMEHAMEHAAAAAAAA!" screamed Pan, unleashing the most powerful Kamehameha wave she had ever fired in her life.

Pan watched eagerly, anticipating it blowing right through Tato. To her utter horror, he simply moved to the side, letting the wave rush pass him.

Tato snicked and sneered. "Oops, guess I lied. I'll admit, you might have hurt me badly with that little stunt. But then again, I'm not really using that much of my power right now."

Pan trembled, her power gutting, and collapsed to her knees. "Y-you... bastard..."

Tato floated downward and set down on the ground, cracking his knuckles. "Are you ready, human?"

Pan couldn't help herself, as much as she didn't want to infront of this monster, she began to sob. All of that time in the chamber, all of her struggles... it meant nothing...

Tato looked at her in disgust. "You had a chance to die a warrior's death, instead, you cry? Pathetic, this is why your kind deserves to be wiped out!"

He grinned wickedly. "I'd tell you not to worry, and that it would all be over quickly, but I'd be lying. I'm going to enjoy this."

Pan watched, feeling cold, as Tato's aura shrunk. He... he was holding back his power... he was going to slowly torture her to death...

KICK! Tato smashed his foot into Pan's chest, kicking her up into the air. Pan wheezed, coughing up blood and emptying her lungs. WHAM! Tato smashed her to the ground. Tato picked her up by the scruff of her gi and threw her into the nearest building's wall. She hit it and cringed. Before she could fall to her knees Tato was there, hitting her over and over again and pounding her into the wall.

Pan screamed in pain. "Stoooop!"

"You dare ask mercy from me?" roared Tato, pulling his hand back to deliver the killing blow.

BONG!

Pan slid to the ground and looked up in confusion, sighting a frying pan bouncing off the back of Tato's head. Slowly, the Super Saiyan turned around, eyeing a child standing there defiantly. Pan looked at her in mute horror, it was one of the children she had saved her first day here. No... what was she thinking?!

"Leave Pan alone!" the child cried out.

"N-no...," Pan said weakly, "R-run!"

A woman rushed to the child, picked her up, and began to flee. Tato licked his lips hungrily and aimed a hand at them before pausing. Pan followed his gaze, sighting the citizens of Haven rushing towards the Lord's Palace for sanctuary. A wicked grin spread across the Super Saiyan's face as he adjusted the aim of his hand and unleashed a blast of ki.

"NO!" screamed Pan.

The blast hit the largest cluster of people and exploded, killing hundreds. In an instant, the humans of Terra had been made extinct. Tears flew down Pan's face at the instant disappearance of their ki. No no no no no... she had failed them... she had gotten them killed... no...

A yellow glow began to surround Pan, and a surge of strength hit her. She rose to her feet, glaring death at the back of the Super Saiyan.

"You bastard...," she whispered in rage.

The yellow aura faded, and a red one took its place. "YOU MONSTER!"

Tato gave a start and whirled around. "What?"

Pan began to scream in fury and rage. "KAIO-KEN!"

Her aura exploded around her. The ground began to buckle and crack, nearby buildings toppled over. Debris began to levitate into the air.

"TIMES FIFTY!" Pan screamed.

BOOOM a shock-wave of energy erupted from Pan, sending Tato stumbling back. Immediately the Super Saiyan began to power up, bracing himself. Pan glared at him before throwing her arms out to her side. Slowly, she brought them together, palms touching, aiming directly above her.

 _PULSE! RIPPLE!_

She fired off the energy into the air, much to Tato's confusion. Pan knelt down and slammed her palms into the ground before shouting one word with all her might.

"JUDGEMENT!"

The clouds parted, and as if from the heavens Pan's energy beam rained downed upon the Super Saiyan. It hit him, slammed him down and to his knees, compacting on his back. Pan was shocked, instead of being forced to the ground and having the energy explode, Tato was struggling and trying to rise to his feet.

Pan gave a roar and struggled, trying to force the energy to overpower him with all of her might. For a moment, it looked like she would win, she would force him to the ground and obliterate him. Then...

BULGE! Her shoulder muscle bulged momentarily, sending pain spiking through her body. No! Not now!

"Body... don't fail me now!" Pan begged.

Pain began to wrack her body as her muscles bulged and relaxed involuntarily. Her power began to drop. The Super Saiyan slowly began to rise to his feet, grinning at her wickedly. With a roar, Tato surged up and threw the energy off of him, sending it exploding in the opposite direction.

Pan's power was shot, she fell to her knees, looking faintly at the Super Saiyan with a sad, grim smile. "Do... your worst..."

Tato smirked. "I intend to."

Faster than the weakened Pan could follow, he closed the distance and kicked her into the air. He flew up to her and two-handed smashed her away. She flew through the air, barely conscious, far away from the ruins of Haven. She hit the ground and skidded along, flipping and rolling until she finally came to a stop, laying on her back.

Tato flew over and landed a few feet from her, gazing down at her with a smug look on his face. "Not bad human, not bad. To bad for you that it's over, you, and your race, die this day."

Tato aimed a hand at her and began to charge a ki blast before Aneurin came out of nowhere and plowed into him, causing him to miss his ki blast. Aneurin pummeled him with all his might, only for the Super Saiyan to grab his right arm and completely twist it around.

"AAAAAH!" Aneurin roared with agony.

Tato put a palm against Aneurin's chest and blasted him, sending him flying into the distance where he hit the ground and did not move.

"An... eurin..." Pan whispered weakly, horror, and fury building inside of her.

"Fool should have never interfered with...," began Tato.

"Times thirty!" came a yell.

Aideen surged at the Super Saiyan, smashing a leg into his head and sending him staggering back. Tato glared at her, infuriated, he surged forward and gut punched her, sending her staggering back. He raised a hand, unleashed a ki blast, and blew a hole clean through her chest.

Time seemed to slow down for Pan as Aideen flew back from the blast and landed on the ground, her aura fading away, and her ki dropping down next to nothing...

"Ai...deen," Pan whispered in disbelief.

"AIDEEN!" Pan screamed in horror.

Pan broke through her weakness, not caring how much her body screamed at her. She scrambled over to the fallen woman and sank to her knees, shaking her over and over again.

"Aideen? Aideen! Wake up!" Pan begged, but she did not move.

"Heh, two down, I think it's time for the little brat to go next," spat Tato as he started forward.

He came to a stop and glanced up, Odianna had arrived, being trailed by three Super Saiyans. She came to a stop, floating far above them, staring at the scene with a stricken expression. The three other Super Saiyans floated a ways behind her, warily keeping their distance.

Pan saw none of that. All she saw was Aideen, bleeding out and dying infront of her. "Aideen..."

Clouds began to darken in the sky. Thunder began to rumble.

CRACK!

A lightning bolt descended and hit the ground a bit from Pan.

One of the Super Saiyans gave a start and examined the storm brewing. "Wait a second, I recognize this storm anywhere..."

Pan rose to her feet, trembling in anger. "You wont..."

Her energy began to rise, to skyrocket. Pieces of rubble and rocks began to rise and levitate around her.

CRACK!

Another lightning bolt descended from the clouds and hit the ground nearby. "You wont get away with this!"

The ground at her feet began to tremble and crack. Pan's head snapped up involuntarily, and her hair briefly flew up and turned yellow before fading back to normal.

Odianna watched, stunned, and mortified. "No... she... she can't be..."

"YOU WONT!" Pan roared in rage, "YOU WON'T GET AWAY WITH THIS!"

CRACK CRACK CRACK!

Lighting bolts descended and hit the ground.

"HEYAAAAAAA!" Pan screamed.

Wooosh! Brrr brrr brrrr!

Pan's hair flew up and spiked, turning and staying yellow. An aura of yellow energy surged put of her skin, engulfing her in it's glory. Her muscles bulged, and her power surged higher than it had ever been before.

Somewhere, in what little of Pan's head wasn't completely consumed by mind numbing rage, she knew what had just happened. She knew she had become a Super Saiyan.

To Pan as a whole, she didn't care. She didn't care where this power had come from. All she saw was Aideen. All she saw was the Super Saiyan who had killed her. All she knew, is that he had to die no matter what.

With a scream of primal fury, she launched herself at him...


	14. A Fury Beyond Kaio-Ken

_**Potara - Chapter 14: A Fury Beyond Kaio-Ken**_

* * *

Pan flew through the air and smashed a fist into the stunned Tato's face, sending him flying back. "I"LL KILL YOU!"

Tato recovered and righted himself. "What the hell is this? She looked almost nothing like a Saiyan!"

Pan flew at him again, smashing her fists against his defenses over and over again. Tato flinched at the impact, barely managing to keep pace and block Pan's rampage.

Pan flew back all of the sudden and cupped her hands to her side. "Kaaaaa..."

Tato frowned for a moment before a smirk crossed his face. "Oh, I get it. You, your a hybrid!"

"Meeeeee," Pan continued.

Tato was scornful. "Pathetic, to see Saiyan blood tainted with a humans. I'm surprised you can even go Super Saiyan."

"Haaaaa," Pan continued.

Tato beat a fist into his chest. "Alright you hybrid mongrel, show me what you've got."

"Meeeee," Pan continued.

Tato sneered at her.

"HAAAAA!" Pan screamed, unleashed the Kamehameha wave and then instantly flew aside it afterword.

"Stupid! As if I'd let that hit me!" said Tato, moving aside.

Pan surged forward at him, overtaking her Kamehameha wave. Before he could react, she flew behind him and kicked him back towards the wave.

 _BOOOM!_

The Kamehameha wave impacted and exploded. When the dust settled, Tato was still there, minus a lot of shoulder armor and a bit of blood running down his arm.

Pan sneered at him and rushed forward, throwing a heavy fist forward. She was surprised when her fist passed through him and his body faded.

 _WHAM!_

Tato appeared and slammed an elbow into Pan's back and knocked her to the ground. Pan impacted on the ground, rolled and sprung to her feet, snarling in rage. She threw herself at him again, swinging a heavy blow.

 _GRAB!_

Tato grabbed her wrist, struggling to hold it back. Pan threw her other fist forward, and he caught that as well. The air around them began to crackle with power. Their auras merged and expanded as they struggled against one another. The ground below them began to buckle and crack, pebbles, dirt, and rock levitating up into the air.

"HAAAAAA!" they both yelled, furiously tapping into their power to try and overpower the other.

Tato brought his legs up to his chest then kicked out, slamming them into Pan's stomach and sending her flying away. Pan recovered and floated there, glaring death at the other Super Saiyan. They floated, at a standoff, before they both vanished into thin air.

 _WHAM BOOM!_

The two of them reappeared and clashed against one another over and over again. Tato was stronger, but Pan was smaller and faster, making her hard to hit. Pan ducked under a swing then rushed up, smashing a knee into his chin and exposing his throat. She curled a fist and throat punched him as hard as she could. Tato gagged and flew backwards. Pan threw herself at him, punching and kicking as furiously as she could. Tato took a few hits before he smashed a fist into her face, launching Pan back.

Pan floated backwards, wincing, before she recovered and spit blood to her side, reaching a hand up wipe her mouth off. Tato smirked at her and waved her forward, beckoning. Pan grinned deviously and held a hand out to herself. Tato watched cautiously as a thin disk of energy formed in her hand, razer sharp. He tensed, ready to dodge, but rather than throw it at him, Pan gave a warcry and charge him, still levitating the disk in her hand.

Tato threw himself back as Pan swung the destructo disk like a weapon, slicing open a bit of his armor but missing skin. She snarled and threw herself forward, swinging the disk again and again. Tato glared at her but did not fight back, doing his best to keep his distance. Finally, Pan threw the disk and then disappeared, moving as fast as she could to get behind him and kick him towards the disk.

Pan's foot went through him, an afterimage. She gave a startled yelp as he appeared behind her and shoved her towards the disk. Pan's eyes went wide before she twisted her body backwards and swung her foot up, kicking the flat part of the disk up into the air. Tato barely dodged being beheaded and then aimed a hand, unleashing a burst of ki that hit and destroyed the disk.

He waged a finger at her. "Nice try, but did you really think such an amateurish trick would-"

"MASENKO-HA!" Pan screamed, blasting him mid speech.

Tato flew back at the impact, his chest armor singed and battered. "You little brat!"

He surged forward and slammed a knee into Pan's stomach and backhanded her towards the ground. Pan hit and skidded along painfully. Tato flew down at her, cocking a fist to deliver a devastating blow.

Pan brought two fingers to both sides of her forehead. "SOLAR FLARE!"

Blinding light shone out. "GAAAAH! What the hell?!"

Pan flipped herself upright and cried out, "DESTRUCTO DISK!"

Pan launched it at the oncoming blinded fighter, watching eagerly. At the last second, Tato swerved to the side, but not quite fast enough to dodge it completely.

 _SLICE_

The destructo disk slice into the right side of his body about an inch from the side. Tato gave a startled yelp and brought a hand up to cover the wound. Pan needed no invitation and launched herself at him, headbutting his stomach, Tato doubled over, and Pan let into him with everything she had, punching and kicking freely and unblocked. Finally, she two-handed smashed him to the ground and cupped her hands to her side.

"KAMEHAMEHAAAAA!" She roared, unleashing the wave towards the down fighter.

In one smooth motion, Tato rose to his feet, gave a roar, and drove a right fist into the energy wave, sending it flying away from him and into the distance. Pan floated there, staring down at him silently as the explosion of the landing blast send wind and dust flying everywhere. Tato glared at her, breathing in and out rapidly and heavily for a moment before he recovered. He held up a hand, aiming it towards her, ki ready. Rather than fire it, he instead brought it down to the cut in his side.

 _sizzle_

Tato grimaced, cauterizing the wound. "Hmph. If this is all you can do girl, I'm sorely disappointed."

All Pan did to reply was grin at him wildly.

He scoffed. "Look at you, completely lost in the transformation like a novice. I'm surprised you can even strategize in such a state. What a waste of Saiyan blood and-."

The Pan in the air faded away, an afterimage, before the real Pan reappeared and booted the back of Tato's head and knocking him to the ground. Tato rolled and pressed his hands against the ground, launching himself into the air. He rubbed the back of his head, scowling. Pan stood there, smirking at him.

"Oh, you think your cute, don't you?" spat Tato.

Pan's spoke through clenched teeth for the first time since her snarling death threat. "Mom... always said... I was... adorable..."

"Hah, so she can speak!" said Tato with a laugh, "And she can talk back too!"

He clapped his hands together and mocked. "Bravo."

Pan rushed him, swinging high. Tato blocked her attack and countered with a gut punch. Pan placed a palm on his upcoming swing, grabbed his hand, and pulled herself up, vaulting over and behind him.

"MASENKO-HA!" She shouted, blasting his backside.

Tato staggered a bit before turning to face her. "Your attacks sting at best."

He burst forward and drove a knee into her stomach. Pan's eyes bulged and a bit of blood spilled out of her mouth. Tato grabbed her head, and slammed his own into her nose. Pan gave a cry of surprise and pain before he kicked her back and to the ground.

Pan seethed, enraged at the blood gushing out of her nose. Tato aimed two fingers at her before slowly bringing them up and then snapping them towards the sky. The ground beneath Pan bucked and exploded, a burst of ki strong enough to obliterate a city rushed into the air.

Pan was launched into the sky, her gi burned and tarnished, scorch marks on her face and arms. Tato was on her before she could recover, punching her again and again. Pan cringed at every blow before he kicked her back. She floated in the air, shuddering in pain before he rushed her and wrapped his arms around her in a crushing bear hug.

Pan screamed as he began to squeeze.

"What's the matter brat?" Tato taunted, "Is it to TIGHT for you?"

Pan screamed again as he began to squeeze harder. He threw back his head and laughed. In that one moment, Pan eyed his exposed neck and lunged forward, biting down hard and deep. Tato was the one screaming then, letting Pan go and trying to pull her off. He punched her head once, twice, and a third time before she finally let go, her face starting to swell a little bit.

 _WHAM!_

Tato hit her in a fury and knocked her to the ground. "Biting? You little cowardly wretch!"

Pan hit the ground hard, laying there, breathing in and out heavily, slowly, she sat up, rubbing her face. She grinned menacingly, spitting his blood out of her mouth, eyeing the steady stream of it flowing down his neck. She rose to her feet and launched herself at him again. Once more they engaged in a flurry of blows, blocks, dodges, and counter attacks.

Tato swung towards her face, Pan pushed the attack up with an arm, having it graze her forehead instead, and lashed out with her other fist. She slammed it into the gash her teeth had made on his neck, causing him to howl in pain and smash her away from him.

"What the hell is taking you so long? Finish the brat and be done with it!" a voice called down.

Both Pan and Tato's head's turned, eying one of the Super Saiyan's floating a ways behind Odianna.

Odianna...

The moment Pan's eyes met Odianna's cold, hateful ones, her rage broke. Pan blinked a few times, a chill running down her spine. She shook her head, fully regaining control of herself. She took in a breath, slowly letting it out. She faced Tato and adopted her Grandpa's fighting stance for the first time in a long time. She had to end this, no longer being blinded by rage, she could feel just how exhausted and beaten her body was. If this went on to much longer, she'd probably lose.

Tato raised an eyebrow. "Well now, looks like someone's finally tamed the beast within. It's about time, its unbecoming of a Saiyan to be controlled by their base instincts. You were like a third class trash Great Ape, it was disgusting to watch."

Pan ignored his taunting. She was a little pissed at herself for losing control, she had taken far to many hits than she should have. But... she understood it. Aideen's death had pushed her over the edge. The mere thought of her dead friend was enraging, but...

Pan looked down at her hands, her yellow, glowing, Super Saiyan hands. She had to do it, she had to have turned to their power to match them. She felt disgusted with herself, but, whats done was done. She'd do what she had to do to end this and avenge Aideen, and the people of Haven.

Pan pushed off the ground and flew at Tato, engaging him in a more controlled form. Tato was caught offguard by her sudden shift in style, blocking poorly, and took an elbow to his wounded neck. He gave a snarl of fury and grabbed for arm. Pan swung her other hand and that was caught as well. Tato began to tighten his grip, trying to crush her hands.

Pan winced momentarily before she had an idea. "Kaaaaa-meeee-haaaaa-meeee..."

Tato's eyes went wide and he forced Pan's hands to point away from him.

Pan grinned, pulling her knees up to her chest, and then driving her feet into his chest. "HAAAAAA!"

The Kamehameha wave erupted from her feet and blasted him point blank. Tato screamed in agony, being carried back and engulfed by the energy wave. Pan watched him go, a grin on her face. He sure didn't predict the Kamehameha wave could be launch from other parts of her body. Hee hee...

BOOM!

The energy wave exploded all of the sudden. Pan frowned, sighting Tato still alive, his armor cracked, scorched marks all over his body. Damn, this guy was tough. His power had dropped a bit after tanking that wave, and was slowly fading due to exhaustion and maybe blood loss. His neck, Pan eyed it, it was still leaking blood. Had she nicked an artery with that bite of hers? Or just bit really really deep? Either way, his power was slowly draining.

Though, its not like hers wasn't as well. She had no experience or training with the Super Saiyan transformation. Unless she both kept on him, and avoided taking damage, she'd lose power just as fast if not fast. Pan eyed him as he slowly closed the distance, wondering if she should try to go in for the kill and outright end it or attempt to slowly whittle him down. Either method had some risks.

Tato studied her. "You know, it'd be such a waste."

Pan frowned. "What?"

"I've been thinking, and I question, do you even know what you are?" asked Tato.

Pan didn't respond, and instead took a defensive stance, wondering if he was trying to distract her or something.

"You, little girl, are the youngest Super Saiyan I have ever seen or heard of. Your power at your age, for your first time going Super Saiyan, is unparalleled in the entire universe," he complimented.

The hell was he trying to pull? She wasn't like Vegeta with his crazy pride, she wasn't going to let him pull a fast one or try some crazy scheme.

"It would be such a waste for your life to be snuffed out here," lamented Tato, "So why don't you join us?"

Pan glared at him. "Never."

"Do you even know what it's like little gir-, what its like, Pan? To be a true Saiyan?" he asked.

"If by a true Saiyan, your mean a heartless murderer, then no, I don't," she jabbed.

"Your letting your human side cloud your judgement, you could be so much more," he argued.

"The only thing I want to be is your end," she spat.

He slowly shook his head. "What a waste. Though, I'm curious. I can't help but wonder, is it just you, or could another hybrid show such power? It almost makes me regret killing that woman, I could have forced her to spawn some offspring to test that theory."

Pan's eyes went wide with outrage, her entire body shaking with fury. "YOU! SICK! BASTARD! HOW DARE YOU! HOW DARE YOU THINK OF DOING THAT TO HER!"

"AHHHHHHHHH!" Pan roared with rage, her entire body, her aura, pulsating with a new found power dawn from her fury.

She exploded forward at blazing speed and drove her fist deep into his stomach. Tato's eyes bulged, blood surging out of his mouth. Pan slammed a fist into his chest, sending him flying far off into the distance.

"This ends! NOW!" she shouted.

Pan threw her hands out to her side, gathering power. She brought her hands up and fired the ki into the air without pause. She gave a war cry and surged towards the ground. She landed on a knee, brought her palms to the ground, and shouted her attack at the top of her lungs.

"JUDGEMENT!"

The energy parted the heavans and crashed down upon Tato off in the distance. It hit him, brought him to the ground, and...

 _BOOOM!_

The explosion was massive. It shock-waves through the air and made the ground buckle and rippled. Even at this distance, dirt and debris was sent flying everywhere. Pan watched the explosion fade away in the distance, feeling Tato's power level fade away. She was still shaking in fury and disgust. Slowly, she breathed in an out, calming herself. It was over, Aideen, Aneurin, and the people of Haven had been avenged.

No wait, it wasn't over...

Pan turned, glancing up at Odianna and the three Super Saiyans. She was rather surprised to see they had stood still and watched the entire fight. Pan tried to size them up and immediately regretted it. How in the world had she not been felt their power just sitting up there? It was ignoring the three huge elephants in the room. They dwarfed Tato's power by leaps and bounds.

They were in a triangle formation, two Super Saiyans, one male, one female floating below a third male Super Saiyan. The two bottom ones were a little roughed up, but, not showing signs of exhaustion. They seemed to comfortably rest in their Super Saiyan state, as if it were natural to them. A bead of sweet rolled down Pan's forehead, they were mastered Super Saiyans. The top middle one though... he was...

Pan frowned. While not close to as strong as them, he felt like Grandpa and Vegeta did when they were holding back and sparring Goten and Trunks as Super Saiyans. He was much stronger than the two mastered ones. Pan gulped, feeling a surge of fear. He... was a Super Saiyan 2, Pan felt sure of it. Two mastered Super Saiyans and a Super Saiyan 2...

The middle one crossed his arms. "If were done watching the trash fight, how about we finish this, human? After all, you are the entire reason I came here."

Odianna turned to look at him, her voice cold. "Am I? I hope your satisfied with what you found, I'll be the last thing you'll ever see you filthy Saiyan Scum!"

He grinned at her. "Satisfied? Hardly. I watched you slaughter a few pathetic low class Super Saiyans. I've been testing you this entire time, and I haven't seen it yet. Where is it? Where is the power your hiding?"

Odianna narrowed her eyes, but said nothing.

"Tales are told of the world of Terra, the greatest challenge for the Saiyan race! The rebirth place of the Super Saiyan, the place where the first Ascended Super Saiyan rose to existence. Home to a power that could challenge the pinnacle of the Saiyan race! I have come to conquer that challenge, and prove myself the greatest Saiyan who has ever lived!" he continued.

"So show me," he finished, a bolt of blue lightning cackling along his body, "Show me your true power."

 _WOOSH!_

His aura exploded, his hair spiking up more than it was, lightning crackling along his body. Pan shivered, she had been right.

"Hmph, an Ascended Super Saiyan, why am I not surprised?" muttered Odianna, "Though, your so pitiful I wonder if I could beat you with the _regular_ Kaio-Ken."

Pan frowned, there was something about the way she said the world, regular, that confused her. She couldn't possibly be talking about just a double Kaio-Ken...

"You can't possibly have challenged an Ascended Super Saiyan with your pitiful Kaio-Ken technique," said the Super Saiyan 2, "It's fire can't match this power!"

Odianna smirked at him, a wicked smile crossing her face. "It's funny in a way, that you mention fire."

"Enough! Stop stalling! SHOW IT TO ME!" the Super Saiyan 2 demanded, "Show me the power that can challenge an Ascended Super Saiyan!"

"As you wish," said Odianna, her body tensing.

"Haaaaaaaa!" Odianna began to scream in fury.

The veins on her neck, her forehead, everywhere that Pan could see began to bulge. The end wisps of her fiery red Kaio-Ken aura began to turn blue, like a flame burning far hotter. Pan began to feel sick as Odianna's ki began to warp in a way that turned Pan's stomach. Someones ki... someones ki shouldn't be able to twist like this! It wasn't right, it wasn't natural! Odianna's skin began to ripple, as if it were trying to tear itself apart. Red energy pulsated from her, slowly turning blue. Pan winced and brought an arm up, trying to shield herself from the extreme heat Odianna was emitting.

With a final cry, her Kaio-Ken aura turned completely blue and began to pulse wildly, "HYPER KAIO-KEN TIMES FIFTY!"

 _WOOOOOOOOSH!_

Pan fell to a knee as Odianna's aura exploded in size, sending blue fire shooting everywhere. Pan looked at her, shocked beyond belief. Slowly, the woman's aura began to compact around her, the unnatural rippling in her skin stopped, her veins no longer bulging. For a brief moment, Pan wondered if her blue energy was like that of a Super Saiyan Blue, of a god. No, she could feel Odianna's Ki. And... her ki... her ki still gave off a sickening feeling. Pan finally understood why Aideen had been so uncomfortable even alluding to Odianna's secret technique, the presence she gave off now was awful.

Hyper... Hyper Kaio-Ken? What in the world was this? Pan carefully felt with her senses. The way Odianna's body was emitting energy was different. It wasn't the same way the normal Kaio-Ken used energy, a change of how the technique functionally worked. It felt unstable. If she wasn't immortal, Pan felt that Odianna would have died instantly the moment she tried this technique.

But she was immortal, and her technique held. Its power... its power was insane. It multiplied her power so far above what the normal Kaio-Ken gave her. It wasn't comparable in the slightest. Pan couldn't wrap her mind around what she felt, not that she could do that with the Super Saiayn 2 either. She wasn't able to properly compare them, and had no clue who was stronger. Still, she couldn't let her fight alone, even if she could just buy Odianna a few seconds, it would be worth it.

Pan flew up and levitated a bit below her. "I'll try to hold off the other two Super Saiyans while you fight the Ascended one."

Odianna turned her head and snarled at her, "You lying, deceiving Saiyan wretch!"

Pan looked up at her, startled, "What?"

 _WHAM!_

Odianna hit Pan with a two-handed overhead smash against her shoulder and sent her rocketing to the ground, leaving a huge crater. Pan's Super Saiyan aura faded instantly, and she lost any sense of her power, she laid there, stunned, and her body wracked in agony. Never before, never before had Pan felt such physical pain. As she laid there, she realized, to Odianna, she was now just another enemy to kill, another piece of Saiyan trash, and that pain in her heart, was the worst feeling Pan had ever felt in her life.

"No Saiyan! NO SAIYAN, is leaving here alive!" yelled Odianna.

Pan trembled in fear. For a brief moment, when Odianna had hit her, the true depths of her power had been made known to her. With those vengeful words, Pan let out a terrified sob, tears streaming down her face. She was going to die here. She was going to die and never see her family again.

Odianna disappeared and reappeared infront of one of the mastered Super Saiyans, driving a hand through his throat, killing him. The Super Saiyan fell out of the air as Odianna disappeared again and felled the other one, swinging her arm like a blade and cutting deep into the back of the second, female Super Saiyan. Her aura fell as did her body. Odianna grinned wickedly at the Super Saiyan 2 who was watching her warily.

They both disappeared and began fighting at speeds Pan couldn't follow. She could however feel the shock-waves they were emitting, and each pulse pushed against Pan, causing her to cry in pain and fear. Finally, the two of them reappeared, Odianna looked smug, the Super Saiyan 2 looked enraged.

"You think you can match me!?" roared the Super Saiyan 2, "I AM BEYOND you! My power is far above anything you can possibly conceive!"

"That so?" said Odianna, "Go ahead then, show me what you've got. I'll give you one free hit, go ahead."

"You dare? You DARE mock me!?" roared the Super Saiyan 2.

The Super Saiyan 2 surged forward and swung at Odianna. She did exactly as she said she would and stood still. The Super Saiyan 2 hit her and drove his fist, and arm, through her chest, elbow deep. The Super Saiyan 2 was shocked, surprised when she merely grunted in pain and grinned at him.

"You fool, you had no idea what you were getting yourself into. You should never have come here." she spat.

She leaned forward, driving his arm deeper into her body. "Here's a little secret, you Saiyan trash, I'm immortal."

She grabbed the arm penetrating her body, raised her other hand high into the air, coating it with energy, and brought it down, severing the Super Saiyan 2's arm. He flew backwards, screaming in agony. Odianna rushed him, grabbed his chin in one hand, the top of his hand with the other.

"You wana know something before you die? Your not even the strongest Ascended Super Saiyan I've fought," she said, taunting him one last time.

 _SNAP!_

Odianna wrenched his head, twisting it and snapping his neck. The Super Saiyan 2 aura faded, his body going limp, his ki snuffing out. Odianna kicked his body down, pulled the man's arm out of her, and tossed it onto his body before obliterating it with a ki blast. She stood there, silently marveling her work. Slowly, she turned her head and body, turning to look at Pan.

Pan's terror surged, her fear rising higher than it ever had been before. "O-odiana... I'm... sorry..."

Odianna rushed at her, pulling back an arm, raising a fist to deliver a blow that would end Pans life. In that moment, Pan's fear hit a pinnacle, almost as if in response, a strange green glow surrounded her. In the split second before Odianna could hit and kill her, Pan disappeared in a flash of green light, vanishing without a trace...

* * *

 _Trivia/Facts/Author's Notes_

 _(1) The Chapter title was a double meaning, Super Saiyan and Hyper Kaio-Ken._

 _(2) The Hyper Kaio-Ken was ultimately the only way I could ever come up with a way for a human, even an immortal one, to match a Super Saiyan 2. I wanted it to come of as an unnatural way for the Kaio-Ken to be pushed to a new level. It's not something that can be so easily replicated and wont be divvied out to every human to try to force them to be relevant._

 _(3) The Terra arc, or the Kaio-Ken arc, or whatever you want to call it, is almost over, just one more chapter to go..._


	15. Never Ending Hatred

_**Potara - Chapter 15: Never Ending Hatred**_

* * *

Son Goku rubbed his eyes tiredly, moving slowly behind the group heading down a hallway to another portal room. "Bleh..."

"What's the matter Kakarot? Not the vacation you were expecting?" jabbed Vegeta, slowing down to keep pace

"Nah, that's not it," replied Goku, "I'll keep searching for Pan forever if I have to, it's just..."

Vegeta raised an eyebrow, but said nothing, waiting.

Goku frowned. "I've... been kind of keeping something from everyone for awhile now."

Vegeta didn't look pleased. "Oh, and what, clown, have you been hiding or lying about this time?"

"Aww don't be like that Vegeta," complained Goku.

Vegeta cut infront of Goku and stopped him. "Don't give me that, Kakarot! Spill it!"

Goku frowned. "Well, it was at the end of the first universal tournament..."

Vegeta narrowed his eyes, but said nothing. Goku knew that tournament was a touchy subject for him, well, for everyone to be honest. It had been a really awful thing to see so many people, friends and families, killed.

"When the Omni-Kings gave me the two wishes, I was going to use one of them to make them disappear," said Goku.

Vegeta was surprised. "Well well well, I didn't think Kakarot had it in him to want someone dead with cold blood."

Goku scowled. "That tournament really messed with me, but, I didn't do it. Not because I didn't want to, but, because Pan stopped me."

Vegeta looked confused. "What do you mean? She was just a baby then, she couldn't have done anything but giggle and fly around."

Goku shook his head. "Not our Pan, another older one from the future I guess, appeared behind the Omni-Kings and begged me not to make my wish. It was really weird, the Omni-Kings couldn't hear or see her. She... died after speaking, and then disintegrated along with a black portal behind her."

Vegeta mulled over his words for a moment. "Are you... sure it was her?"

Goku nodded. "Yeah, shes still a bit older than our Pan, maybe twelve years old, but they are definitely the same person. Though, she had the Kai clothing on for some reason. Oh, and she was Super Saiyan blue."

Vegeta coughed and gave him a wide eye stare. "Your full of shit and pulling my leg about this!"

Goku shook his head. "Nah, I'm telling the truth. I was shocked as well. It's just..."

He frowned. "When she disintegrated, I just had the most awful feeling, that i had ruined her timeline by making that wish and forced her, and our families and friends, through awful trials."

"You probably did you clown, never stopping to think about your actions," said Vegeta with a scowl on his face.

Goku scratched his own head sheepishly. "Ever since our Pan disappeared, I've just been thinking about it none-stop. It's really been eating me. I'm just wondering if I messed everything up again"

Vegeta scowled. "Well, you probably did you clown!

"Hey! Are you two coming?" called Gohan from down the hall.

Vegeta turned and started walking. "Kakarot, you made a mistake. Live with it, own it, fix it. Its the only choice you have."

Goku bowed his head for a moment. "Yeah... I guess..."

Goku followed them into the next room. "So, where do we start? Hey Videl, how about you pick the starting portal this time!"

Videl looked around for a moment before pausing eyeing a single portal. She hesitated briefly before a determined look crossed her face. She flew up into the air and without a moments notice flew into the portal. The rest of them followed behind her.

After coming through, Goku tensed. "There's a lot of energy in the air."

He looked around. They were on a hill, overlooking a ruined and devastated town. The entire area was in bad shape, as if some great battle had occured here. Goku gave a start suddenly, feeling something.

"There's a small fading ki signal over this way," said Goku, taking off into the air.

"Hey dad! Wait a second," Gohan called out.

Goku ignored it and flew off, the group following behind him. Goku was surprised at what he found.

"Waaah! Is he a Saiyan?" exclaimed Goku.

Laying on the ground below them was a male saiyan. He was bloody and battered, his armor in ruins. He has a rather nasty bite mark on his neck. He slowly rolled his head and looked up at them.

"Didn't... think there were... any survivors..." he said weakly.

The group landed next to him, Goku began to fish through a small brown bag. "He needs a Sensu be-"

"Wait Kakarot," ordered Vegeta.

The Saiyan was frowning, looking at Videl. "Why... is there a human with you...? Just kill her..."

Goku narrowed his eyes. "What? How could you say something like that?"

The Saiyan continued to stare at Videl. "Wait... you kinda look like... that little human Saiyan hybrid brat..."

The entire group froze.

"Yes... your Pan's mother... aren't you?" spat the Saiyan.

Videl gave a startled cry, first of surprise, then relief. "Pan! Pan's here!"

"Kakarot!" said Vegeta, motioning two fingers to his forehead.

Goku put two fingers to his forehead and concentrated for a moment before frowning. "I don't feel Pan's energy anywhere."

Gohan looked stricken. "Does that mean shes..."

Videl shook her head. "No! She's alive, I know she is!"

"Weak...," spat the Saiyan on the ground, "Human loving Saiyans... disgusting..."

Vegeta walked over and grabbed the Saiyan by the throat, lifting him up. "You! What happened here? What happened to Pan?"

The Saiyan grinned. "She... and I... had a nice little battle. I'll admit... that little hybrid Super Saiyan... kicked my ass at the end..."

Goku's eyes went wide. "Super Saiyan!? Pan went Super Saiyan?"

The Saiyan nodded and then laughed. "Yeah... she transformed after... I killed all her little friends... ahahaah..."

 _CRACK_

Vegeta snapped his neck and threw him to the ground.

Goku frowned at him. "Really Vegeta? You didn't..."

"Yes Kakarot, I did," said Vegeta coldly.

Goku sighed, glancing at the dead Saiyan. "Tsaaa, Pan's had it rough I guess."

"Oh Pan," whispered Videl weakly, "Having to go through that..."

Gohan put an arm around her shoulder, trying to comfort her. "Pan's strong, she'll be fine, but..."

Gohan glanced at the Saiyan's corpse. "If he's in this bad of a shape, then maybe Pan is too. Maybe that's why we can't feel her energy. Shin? Can you detect anything?"

The Supreme Kai closed his eyes for a moment. "There's... only about twenty human ki signatures left alive on the planet."

Goku's eyes went wide. "Wha...?"

"I recognize this kind of ruin and devastation," said Vegeta, motioning to the nearby destroyed town, "This planet was purged."

Goku clenched his fists, trying to control his anger. "Heartless monsters..."

"Kakarot, give Gohan one of the Sensu bean bags," ordered Vegeta.

Goku glanced at him. "Huh? Why?"

"Because, two Saiyan's waltzing in on the survivors would probably cause a panic. Gohan and Videl should be the only ones to go," said Vegeta.

Goku tossed Gohan a bag. "Here ya go! Go bring our Granddaughter home!"

Gohan nodded, his face serious. "Right."

His face blanked for a moment. "I just hope the humans here speak the same language. This is the first dimension we've been in since our own that have even had either Humans or Saiyans."

Vegeta scoffed and pointed at the dead Saiyan. "He spoke well enough. Stop getting jitters and GO!"

* * *

Gohan and Videl walked into the ruins of a devastated city. Off in the distance was a partially collapsed lookout that had seemed to have fallen into the mountain. Near it was a broken tower, snapped off partway up. There were human corpses, and pieces of corpses, being brought out and laid in a line. Saiyan corpses were being dumped in a pile by the survivors.

A few of them gave Gohan and Videl questioning looks, but mostly ignored them.

Gohan hesitated before approaching a child. "Um... hi..."

The child frowned at him. "Who are you? I don't remember seeing either of you two before."

"Were not really from around here," said Gohan.

The child nodded slowly. "Hermits then. Your lucky you came here now instead of a few hours ago when the attack came. The Saiyans... they killed my sister... they killed everyone..."

The boy sniffled, doing his best not to cry, Gohan put a hand on his shoulder. "I'm sorry to hear that. I don't want to intrude, but, I'm looking for someone."

The boy pointed at the body line. "So is everyone else."

Gohan winced. "Well, her name is Pan."

The boy, and everyone nearby, stopped and gave Gohan and Videl a cold stare.

The boy asked, his voice tense. "She's the reason Mr. Aneurin almost died, and Miss Aideen is dying! Why are you asking about _her_?"

Gohan frowned, the way the boy said 'her' sounded so resentful. "Well, she's our daughter."

The area went silent, the boy narrowed his eyes and turned around before speaking coldly, "I'll take you to Lady Odianna."

Gohan and Videl followed wordlessly into a makeshift hospital, pausing to stare at the sorrowful spectacle inside. On the first bed was an older man in bad shape, his right arm hung loosely in a cast, his chest was wrapped in bloody bandages. He was beaten badly. Gohan figured he was Aneurin.

The second bed was empty, but on the third bed was an unconscious woman that was also bloody and battered, Gohan figured she was the mentioned 'dying Aideen'. She had a hole in her lower chest, there was blood all over the table and ground leaking from her. Standing over her was a teenage girl who looked remarkably pristine compared to everyone else, perhaps she was Odianna? She had a hand on the woman's shoulder, Gohan could feel her pouring energy into the woman. Next to them was a discouraged looking man in a doctor's coat.

"DAMMIT doc! I'm keeping her alive as best I can! Operate! DO something!" the teenager yelled at him.

Doc shook his head. "Odianna... just let her go."

"NO!" She shouted back at him.

"Her liver's gone, half of her organ's have shut down, she's lost most of her blood, her body is a complete mess, your just prolonging her suffering," said the doc sadly.

"Then maybe we can help!" called Gohan.

Odianna glanced over at him and Videl in confusion, "Who...?"

Gohan grabbed his bag of Sensu Beans and pulled one out. "This is a..."

"SENSU!" Odiannna cried out in surprise.

She rushed over, took it, ripped the bag out of his other hand and rushed back. "H-hey! You only needed one..."

Videl scowled. "All the people here look like they could need one, let it go."

Odianna pressed a Sensu Bean passed Aideen's lips. "Aideen? Please eat this! It's a Sensu Bean, it'll heal you."

For a moment nothing happened before there was a slow and weak 'crunch' 'crunch' sound and a swallow. In moments, the bean did its work and the woman healed.

Aideen sat up, a hand over the spot the hole in her body had been. "What... where?"

Odianna hugged her fiercely. "Aideen! Your alive..."

Aideen looked a little bit stunned. "J-jezz Odianna. Your embarrassing me. Wait..."

Aideen pushed her off and looked around. "Where's Pan?! She was in really bad shape..."

"That's what were hoping you could tell us," said Gohan.

Odianna glanced at them, looking displeased. "Why?"

"She's our daughter," said Videl, "Please, where is she?"

Odianna's face darkened, a menacing look crossing her face. "So, you finally arrived. The parents of that little treacherous deceiving Saiyan spawn."

Aideen looked at her, startled. "What? Pan is no Saiyan!"

Odianna glared at her. "She turned into a Super Saiyan before my eyes. She's a hybrid apparently."

Aideen went silent, looking stricken and deeply conflicted. "..."

Gohan narrowed his eyes. "I just saved your friends life by giving you those Sensu. Tell me, where is Pan?"

Odianna ignored him and looked to the boy. "Come over here, now."

The boy did as instructed.

"I want you to find as many empty vases or crates or things of that nature, fill them with dirt, and bring them to the time chamber door," ordered Odianna.

The boy left. Odianna fished out a sensu bean and tossed it to Aneurin, who ate it.

She closed the bag and tossed it to Doc. "Take the bag to the time chamber, these things take about a year to grow, but thankfully, we know a place where a year passes in a day."

Gohan raised an eyebrow and watched Doc leave. Growing Sensu Beans inside the Hyperbolic Time Chamber? That was a creative idea. He was tempted to ask Korin about that, but, he had a feeling the cat wouldn't allow it.

He frowned, starting to lose his patience. "Look, just tell us where Pan is."

Odianna sneered at him. "I don't know. She disappeared in a flash of green light before I could kill her."

Videl gave a startled cry. "W-why would you try to kill her?!"

"Because there is one rule of Terra, just one, that must be obeyed. ALL Saiyans must die, and I'm extending that to include those who would love them as well," said Odianna cruelly.

Gohan tensed for a moment before Aneurin turned to face Odianna. "Just let them go."

Odianna looked at him in disbelief. "Excuse me?"

"Beaten as I was, I was conscious to watch that fight. Pan might have been a Super Saiyan, but she was fighting for us! They tried to get her to join them, but she refused, you heard what she said, she's not like them. She was an innocent little girl who tried her hardest to help us, and you heartlessly tried to kill her," Aneurin said coldly.

"After what the Saiyans did to us?" asked Odianna, danger in her voice, "Don't! You! Dare!"

Aneurin looked at Gohan. "It's time for you to go, now."

Odianna glared at Aneurin. "You and are I going to have a nice, long talk, when I'm done with them."

"Kaio-Ken times fifty!" shouted Odianna, the red aura exploding around her.

Gohan's eyes went wide. "Fifty?!"

He turned Super Saiyan, picked up Videl, rushed outside and flew away at top speeds. He glanced behind them, Odianna was pursuing at remarkable speed.

"What is wrong with that girl?!" exclaimed Videl.

Gohan shook his head. "I can only imagine what this world, and thus her, have gone through. She hates the Saiyan race, it's twisted her."

 _WOOSH!_

A ki blast shot past, barely missing. Gohan glanced back, she was catching up.

"Dammit, she's faster and stronger than I am," he muttered.

"Wha...?" exclaimed Videl.

Gohan scowled. "If Vegeta was here, he'd be laughing and yelling at me for stopping training again."

He glanced at the ground. "I'm going to set you down and try to hold her off, go get my father and Vegeta."

Gohan suddenly swerved and headed to the ground, dropping Videl before rushing at Odianna. She was surprised at the sudden turn and took a hit directly to her face, flying back.

Odianna grinned at him. "Pathetic, your one of the weakest Super Saiyans I think I've ever encountered. Even your daughter is stronger than you and it was her first time transforming!"

Gohan winced at the jab, though, he did feel quite a bit of pride in Pan after hearing that. "I'm a scholar at heart and don't train."

"Hmph, a scholarly Saiyan," she spat.

"I'm only half Saiyan," countered Gohan, "Whats more, I'm not even from this dimension. We have nothing to do with what's happened here!"

She glared at him. "I don't care! All Saiyans must pay for their crimes!"

She surged at him and drove a heavy fist into his gut. Gohan cried out, a bit of blood leaking out of his mouth, before she smashed him to the ground. Gohan winced at the impact, glancing up and seeing her start to dive bomb her. Damn, she was ruthless, he might not live long enough for his father to arrive.

He put two fingers to either side of his head. "Solar flare!"

Odianna gave a startled cry, stopped, and clutched her eyes.

"Kamehameha!" shouted Gohan, launching an energy wave at her that sent her flying back.

He took the opportunity to turn and run. He really didn't want them to get locked down in a fight, not that she stood a chance against Goku or Vegeta. He held nothing against that teenager, even if she had tried to kill Pan. This world had been through enough crap already, he didn't want to make it worse.

Gohan overtook Videl, grabbed her, and took off at top speeds, finally arriving back at the others.

Vegeta gave him a look over. "So, looks like you met some of the locals."

"Let's just go," said Gohan, "Pan's not in this dimension anymore."

"Waah? How'd she get out?" asked Goku.

Gohan shook his head. "We'll talk later, lets just leave."

"None of you are leaving here alive!" shouted a voice from above.

They all turned and looked up to see Odianna arrive, she looked them over one by one, pausing first on Goku and Vegeta. "Well look here, full blooded Saiyan trash if I ever saw em."

"Whose this?" asked Goku.

"Her name's Odianna, she's got issues with Saiyans," said Gohan.

"Kakarot, that aura around her...," said Vegeta.

Goku nodded. "It's the Kaio-Ken."

Odianna glanced at the Supreme Kai. "Don't think I've seen a being like this before."

"My name is Shin, I am the Supreme Kai of the universe we come from," said Shin.

Odianna frowned. "A Kai? A Kai who would stand with Saiyan scum is no god of mine."

"Cease your hostility, these people are heroes who have helped save their world and even our universe countless..." Shin began.

"I don't care," said Odianna coldly.

Shin looked at her in disbelief.

"You think the actions of a few can make up for the sins of the whole? This entire universe is being slowly purged of none-Saiyan life, why should I care if these few are 'good'?" she asked, spitting at that last word with disgust.

Goku frowned, he didn't like what she was saying, but something else was starting to bother him. She was just floating there in what he figured was a really high Kaio-Ken, but, it didn't look like it was draining her much, if at all. He was starting to grow wary, something was weird with this girl.

Odianna looked them over once more, pausing on Goku. "That gi... you must be her Grandfather, Son Goku wasn't it?"

Goku nodded. "I am."

She sneered at him. "So this is the great Son Goku. Pan always spoke so highly about you. Funny though that she never let on that you were a Saiyan."

Goku gave her a look. "Probably because you would have hurt her if she did."

Odianna slowly shook her head. "So your the one I have to ' _thank_ ' for making her so soft. It took me forever to get her to get over that whole 'mercy' thing and be willing to kill. Then again, maybe I just awoke her Saiyan bloodlust."

Goku's eyes went wide. "Kill?!"

Videl was horrified. "Pan would never... what did you do to my daughter?!"

Odianna merely grinned down at them. Goku didn't know if she was telling the truth or not, but right now, she was purposefully messing with them and trying to rile them up. It was starting to piss him off.

"You complain about Saiyans, but right now, your sure acting as bad as one," said Goku.

Odianna scowled at him. "Hardly, do you see me slaughtering cities of innocent people? Entire worlds?"

"If they were Saiyan worlds, and Saiyan innocents you would," countered Goku.

She narrowed her eyes. "There's no such thing as an innocent Saiyan."

"Enough," said Goku, growing tired of this.

Deciding to simply scare her off, he powered up to Super Saiyan 2, his hair spiking, and lightning cackling over him. Odianna's eyes wide, surprise written on her face. She stared down at him, wordlessly for a moment, before she narrowed her eyes and descended to land on the ground.

"So, Pan wasn't exaggerating her hints of your power. You are by far the most powerful Ascended Super Saiyan I have ever encountered, by leaps and bounds," said Odianna.

Goku frowned, she didn't seem that alarmed, nor even afraid. "Ascended Super Saiyan? Oh, Super Saiyan 2."

She raised an eyebrow. "Super Saiyan 2? A rather mundane name for it, perhaps I'll start calling it that to mock them."

Odianna closed her eyes and grinned savagely. "To think, I'd have to use this twice in one day."

"Use what twice?" Goku asked, starting to get curious and slightly excited.

"HAAAAAAAA!" Odianna began to shout, her power skyrocketing.

In the span of a few moments, her aura began to turn blue. Her muscles bulged a little. She expelled quite a bit of heat, enough for the others to raise their defense. Her ki though, Goku didn't like its feel, something was wrong with it.

"Hyper Kai-Ken times fifty!" Odianna shouted.

Her aura completely shifted blue. Goku detected her Kaio-Ken fundamentally changing as it did. She was somehow altering how the technique itself worked.

Odianna frowned, examining herself. "Strange... that wasn't as painful as before. It didn't take as long to activate, nor does it feel as unstable..."

Goku raised an eyebrow. "I take it you don't practice this technique often."

"I usually go years between uses of it. Its not often I have to slaughter Super Saiyan 2s," she murmured.

A wicked grin crossed her face. "That's going to change. Just like Pan's little Mastered Kaio-Ken form, I'm going to push this to the limit."

Goku tilted his head. "Mastered Kaio-Ken form?"

She ignored his question. "And I think the first step is going to be killing you."

She burst forward and thrust a fist at him. Goku blocked with an arm and countered, jabbing her face and sending her to the ground in one blow.

"Odianna, I'm a man of courtesy, as well as strength, so I'll tell you that I'm impressed by that technique of yours, your by far the strongest human I've ever met, but, your no match for me. This fight is pointless," said Goku.

She stood up, a smirk on her face. "Usually Saiyans try to back down after I've beaten the crap out of them, not before."

Goku frowned, under normal conditions he would have liked to test and push her limits. It had been awhile since he had last fought as well. But, this girl appeared to fight on nothing but hatred and malice. He didn't really like fighting people like this unless he absolutely had to. There was no spirit of fair sportsmanship he loved like in most tournaments.

"Odianna! Stop!" shouted a voice.

Goku glanced up, sighting an older man and a young woman flying towards them.

Odianna turned and glared at them. "Aneurin, Aideen, get out of here. You have no place at this bat-."

Goku surged forward and made a chop at the back of her neck. Odianna fell to the ground, her aura faded, and she was out like a light.

"He... beat her in one hit...," said Aideen, shocked.

Goku powered down and scratched his head. "I could have beat her anyway, but, she did let her guard down."

The two humans hesitatingly landed a few feet from them.

"We ain't gonna hurt you," said Goku, "Vegeta might be scary lookin, but he's a big pushover."

"EXCUSE ME KAKAROT!?" shouted Vegeta in outrage.

"Hee hee," laughed Goku.

Aideen and Aneurin exchanged amused glances.

Aneurin spoke. "I'm sorry about Odianna, shes..."

"Been through a lot?" finished Goku, "Yeah, I figured. Your whole world seems like its had a crappy time."

"You can say that again," murmured Aneurin.

Gohan spoke up. "We probably should leave before she wakes up."

"In a minute Gohan," replied Goku, "I wana ask them a few things about Pan."

Aneurin crossed his arms. "Ask."

"Odianna mentioned that Pan had... willingly killed people, is that true?" Goku asked anxiously.

Aneurin nodded. "Yes."

Goku looked away. "Oh."

"She's not a cold blooded murderer!" defended Aideen, "She killed Saiyans only because they gave her no choice. She even tried to spare the first one, though, those farmers died because she did..."

Goku winced. "Ah man, poor Pan, that had to have been what pushed her over the edge."

"And Odianna's yelling," murmured Aneurin.

Goku nodded, feeling a bit better. "Pan'll do what she has to do, no more no less."

"Say, Odianna mentioned Pan's 'Master Kaio-Ken form'," said Goku, "I figure she was taught the Kaio-Ken, but what did she mean by Master form?"

"She spent some time in the time chamber," said Aideen, "When she came out she was in the Kaio-Ken state, but with no aura. Her hair and eyes were red, but she seemed at ease."

Goku felt a surge of pride and grinned. "Tee hee, just like mastering Super Saiyan, that's my Pan!"

There was a surprised cry from behind them. Goku whirled to see Odianna standing behind Videl, a finger pressed towards her head, an arm wrapped around her neck. Damn, how was she up already? She should have been out for hours.

Goku narrowed his eyes. "Let Videl go!"

"Your not calling the shots Saiyan," spat Odianna.

Goku was starting to really get mad at this girl. "Look, if you want to fight me then fine, I'll come back and fight you later, after we've found Pan, and after you've grown stronger and mastered that Hyper Kaio-Ken technique of yours. Right now, you don't stand a chance, so how about you knock it off. Taking hostages, that's something a Saiyan you hate so much would do."

Odianna glared at him. "Watch it, Saiyan, the only reason she's even alive at the moment is because I have a use for her."

She smirked. "You want me to get stronger for your Saiyan's love of a challenge, right? Then your going to help me do it. Your guardian is still alive, right?"

Goku blinked a few times. "Yeah, but what does Dende have to do with anything?"

"Your going to go get your guardian, bring him to this dimension, and have him alter our Hyperbolic Time Chamber to allow its users to go above two days time allowed in there," said Odianna.

"If it would help defuse this situation, I am more than capable of doing that," said Shin, "and if I do so, will you let Videl go?"

"Sure, whatever," said Odianna.

Goku frowned, he felt nothing but treachery from her, he wasn't sure she'd keep her word. But, he was afraid to try to make a move, she might kill Videl before he could get to her.

"Do it Supreme Kai," said Goku.

"Aideen, take him to the chamber and then test it afterwords," said Odianna.

Aideen frowned at her. "Odianna... this isn't right..."

"I said DO IT!" yelled Odianna.

With a sigh, Aideen began to fly away, the Supreme Kai following. Goku crossed his arms and locked eyes with Odianna. He wouldn't make a move unless he had to, but so help her if she hurt Videl he would lose it. He pitied Odianna and her world, but that would only go so far.

He looked momentarily to Gohan. His son was trying his best to control himself, but Goku could feel his anger boiling. It was taking an awful lot on his part to keep himself in control.

Goku's eyes shifted to Vegeta. He hadn't moved, but, his rival's eyes were on Odianna, and his body was tensed to make a move at a moments notice. He could trust him to take action if it came down to it.

Finally, thirty minutes later, Aideen and Shin returned. Aideen landed next to Aneurin, Shin next to Gohan.

"Is it done?" asked Odianna.

Aideen nodded. "Yeah, I spent a few hours over the two day mark to be sure, he says there is no limit now."

Odianna smirked and eyed Videl. "Good, then I guess you've outlived your usefulness.

Goku acted immediately, using Instant Transmission to close the gap and grabbed Odianna's hand. Odianna looked at him in surprise, momentarily dumbstruck. Vegeta's hand latched down on her other arm and pried it from Videl's neck. Videl scrambled away. With two swift fluid motions, both Goku and Vegeta kneed her in the stomach and chopped the back of her neck. One more she fell to the ground unconscious.

"You guys better leave this time, she doesn't stay down long," warned Aneurin, "Anymore questions you can ask Pan herself."

Goku nodded. "Yeah, alright, you two take care of yourselves."

"We'll try," replied Aneurin.

"Wait," said Aideen.

"Aneurin told me about Pan's battle as a Super Saiyan. When you find Pan, tell her I'm alright, but, also tell her to not come back, no matter how much she wants to, otherwise Odianna will kill her," said Aideen, a pained expression on her face.

Goku nodded. "Okay, but you know, you don't have to stay here. We could take you guys to Earth, its safe there."

For a moment, Aideen looked like she wanted to go, before she shook her head. "Odianna would never go, and, for all her faults, we can't leave her. Thank you though, for the offer."

Aideen and Aneurin grabbed Odianna and began to fly away. With that, the group turned, flew back to the portal, activated it, and left the world of Terra.

"Hmph," said Vegeta as they returned to the portal room, "Kakarot, I hope you don't make a habit of offering Earth as a refuge. Taking in other dimension's problems isn't what we came to do."

Goku shrugged. "A few dozen people wouldn't have hurt."

Goku frowned. "Gohan, Back in that world, you said Pan was no longer in that dimension, How'd she leave?"

"Odianna said Pan disappeared in a flash of green light before she could kill her," said Gohan.

Shin stepped forward. "Green light? Perhaps like the green energy that first created the portals?"

Gohan shrugged. "I don't know, she didn't give much description."

Shin nodded. "It's possible, since Pan was pulled in as the wish was being granted and the portal's were created, that she somehow gained the ability to transverse dimensions."

Vegeta scowled. "That makes this a whole lot harder."

Goku put his hands behind his head. "Maybe, but we finally found some trace of Pan at least. It's a shame we didn't arrive a few hours earlier, we woulda had her!"

They began to walk to the next portal.

Videl turned to Gohan. "I'm worried Gohan, more so than before."

"Why?" asked Gohan.

"Pan's so young, I'm worried about the influence that girl and that world had on our daughter," she explained.

Gohan was silent for a moment. "I suppose I am too."

Vegeta turned to Shin. "Should we return to the start? If she has moved between dimensions, she might have gone to one we've been to before."

Shin shook his head. "I think we should keep going as is. If Pan were to move again, then restarting would be pointless and we'd be forced to restart again, if we even learned she moved. At this point, it's all chance."

Goku leaned his head back to look up at into the white endless sky. "Ah Pan, where are you?"

* * *

 _Trivia/Facts/Author's Notes:_

 _Longest chapter yet, I thought about trying to split it into two. Perhaps I could have if I made Goku and Odianna fight, but, she was outclassed by a ridiculous margin, and the end result would have been the same without the need of a 'filler' fight._

 _I did however set up for the next time they meet, this dimension's story isn't quite over yet. However, its going to be some time before we hear from them again._

 _Thus ends this arc, I'll be starting the next one at hopefully the same pace. I have a general idea for it. It probably wont be as long as this one, but, it will still be a big whopper for Pan to go through._


	16. Recovery

_**Potara - Chapter 16: Recovery**_

* * *

"...injuries are pretty bad. Trauma, burns, and bruises all over her body, it looks like she was hit by something ridiculously hard on her shoulder, its broken and cracked." said a man's voice.

Pan winced, momentarily half opening her eyes. She was in some kind of dimly lit room laying in a bed. She closed her eyes, unable to take in anything else, feeling exhaustion hit her. It was a struggle not to pass out.

"Is she going to be okay though?" asked a voice sounding like a girl.

"Well, she needs lots of rest. I've put medical ointment underneath all of her bandages, so it should invigorate and jump-start the healing process. Her shoulder will take longer to recover. Hopefully, she should regain consciousness within the week, and maybe be back on her feet in a month." said the man's voice.

"Thank you, friar, for tending to this girl," came another, older man's voice.

"It's my pleasure to serve the monastery," said the first man.

There was a soft patter of feet before a door opened and closed.

"I hope she'll be okay," came the girl's voice.

"I'm sure she will be, now, you should go and start your chores," came the older man's voice.

"Yes Abbot," came the girl's voice, "After I'm done, may I return to check in on her?"

"You may, but try not to disturb her," came the Abbot's voice.

There was an pattering of feet and closing of a door again. Pan weakly opened her eyes, shifting painfully in the bed. At least it was comfortable, the blanket felt nice on her skin... wait...

Pan struggled to bring a hand up and pull up her blanket. She felt a little mortified to see that she was naked except for huge bandages across most of her body. Where was her gi's?

She cringed and dropped the blanket back down, a surge of pain rocketing up her arm. "Oww..."

Everything was so sore. She groaned weakly, abusing the Kaio-Ken as she had in that last fight was finally catching up to her. Not to mention the beating she took from the Super Saiyan, and Odianna's attack...

"Odianna...," Pan whispered weakly, tears spilling down her face.

The memories of the end of the Saiyan invasion spilled over her, awful reminders of no longer being welcomed and treated like an enemy. She sniffled before a thought struck her. How in the world was she alive? Where was she? All she could remember was Odianna about to kill her, then nothing.

Pan sighed, she'd figure it out later. For now, she just felt grateful to be alive...

* * *

Pan awoke at the sound of a door cracking. She turned her head to see a girl in a brown robe, almost like a gi, enter the room. She looked about Pan's age, nine to ten. She had very short rigidly cut black hair. Her eyes were a soft brown. Her face seemed soft and cheerful.

The girl looked at Pan before giving a start when she noticed Pan was conscious. "Oh! Your awake already!"

She moved and sat down on a stool next to the bed. "How are you feeling?"

"Like... crap...," murmured Pan.

The girl smiled sadly. "I figured. You know, you gave me quite a scare when you dropped out of the sky right on top of me glowing with that weird green energy."

"Green... energy...?" asked Pan.

The girl shrugged. "I dunno, it disappeared after a few moments."

Pan turned her head to look up at the ceiling, trying to think. Green energy? What was that about?

She turned her head back to the girl. "Where... am I?"

The girl smiled. "You're at the great Lord Kojin's Monastery."

"Lord... Kojin...?" asked Pan.

The girl's eyes went wide, a confused look crossing her face. "You... don't know of Lord Kojin? How is that possible?"

She leaned forward, looking at Pan's head. "Well, your head's pretty banged up... maybe it's amnesia? Tell me, what do you remember?"

Pan frowned, she really didn't feel like going through the same thing as last time around, recalling the reactions she got. Maybe she ought to just play along with being an amnesiac.

"I... don't remember anything..." said Pan.

The girl's face fell. "Oh... I'm sorry."

Pan glanced down at her own naked arm for a moment. "Though... I do remember having... gis on... where are they...?"

"They were pretty trashed up, I think they were placed in the trash," the girl said.

Pan tried to sit up. "N-no!"

She cringed and fell back down, pain rocketing up her back. "Aghhhh!"

The girl stood up and placed a hand on Pan's shoulders. "Please don't move, your in really bad shape!"

"Please... go get... my gi's for me... they mean... so much to me," said Pan tearfully.

The girl nodded. "Okay, the trash hasn't been taken out yet, I'll go get them for you."

Pan watched her go, giving a sigh of relief. She winced, her back hurting like crazy from her outburst, before she passed out...

* * *

Pan blinked, coming to and hearing a strange mechanical sound. She turned her head to see the girl from before sitting at a desk near her bed with a sowing machine. She was surprised to see her repairing Pan's damaged gi's.

"Thank you," whispered Pan.

The girl paused and stopped the machine, looking at Pan with relief. "Oh thank Lord Kojin your awake again! I thought I had screwed up when I caused you to panic yesterday, you've been out cold since then."

"Sorry to worry you," murmured Pan.

The girl smiled. "Don't fret, I'm just glad your okay, and it looks like your feeling a bit better."

Pan nodded. "A little."

"Well, I talked to the Abbot, and he says he's having records checked by the tech guys over at the central database over in the capital city for anyone matching your description," the girl said.

Pan was silent, she knew nothing would be found. But, a different question had just been answered. A central city, people checking records, being in a monastery. She had started to regain some of her senses, and could clearly feel a lot of people in the vicinity. She wasn't on Terra anymore. She had somehow moved to a different dimension.

She remembered the girl mentioning a green energy. Maybe that energy had somehow moved her? But where did it come from?

"Do you remember your name?" asked the girl.

"It's Pan," she said, deciding not to give out her surname.

"Well, it's nice to meet you Pan, I'm Bata," said the girl.

"Nice to meet you too Bata," replied Pan warmly.

It felt good to be talking with someone her age, and someone friendly to boot. She could already feel that the atmosphere of this place, this monastery, was nothing like Haven, nothing like the world of Terra. It felt calm and peaceful. Whichever dimension she was in, she figured she had lucked out to land in a nice one.

 _Flick, brrr brr brrr_

Pan glanced over, seeing Bata resume repairs on Pan's gis. She watched in silence, not wanting to disturb her. Some time later, she turned off the machine and held up Pan's fox gi.

She looked at Pan for approval. "Look good?"

Pan nodded. "Much better, but what about the other gi?"

Bata frowned. "Well, its in horrible shape. I'm going to need to find some fabric to help repair it. It will take some time."

A sad look crossed Pan's face. "Oh, okay..."

"They seem really important to you, do you remember where you got them?" asked Bata.

"I... think one was from a friend, and one was from my family, I'm not really sure," half-lied Pan.

Bata walked over and knelt down, sliding the fox gi under Pan's bed. "Were only supposed to wear the formal robes at the monastery, so we'll keep this hidden under here, our little secret."

Pan smiled at her. "Thanks."

 _rumble_

Pan glanced down at her stomach. "Oh... um..."

Bata giggled. "I'll go get you some soup, be right back!"

Pan watched her go before deciding to take a risk. She hesitatingly tried to sit up, wincing, and immediately leaned back down. Nope, not yet. She might heal fast, being Saiyan, but even she'd need more time for this. Ugh... being bedridden sucked. It was like being back in the time chamber again after a rough training session or a big screw up.

Bata returned carrying a tray with a bowl of soup and sat it down on the desk next to Pan's bed. She moved the stool over, grabbed a spoon from the tray, and grabbed a spoonful before slowly moving it towards Pan.

Pan scowled. "I can feed myself."

Bata raised an eyebrow. "Really? Go ahead and lift that broken arm of yours."

Pan winced. "Er..."

"One of the first lessons of Kojin's Monastery is humility. Let go of pride, your beaten and really banged up, just relax and let me help you out," said Bata.

Pan was surprised to hear a girl so young speak like that. "Well... okay."

For the next half an hour, Bata slowly and carefully fed Pan. Pan still felt hungry after it was finished, but she didn't want to be rude and ask for more.

"Thank you," mumbled Pan, feeling sleepy.

"Your welcome," said Bata, "Now get some more rest Pan."

Pan nodded, closed her eyes, and tried her best to sink into the nice, soft pillow...

* * *

"H-hey Pan?" came Bata's voice.

Pan opened her eyes, glancing over to see the girl standing next to her bed, looking anxious, an older man in the same clothes as her standing next to her. He was bald, with onyx eyes. He held himself well, and Pan felt an almost commanding presence from him, like when Grandpa was giving a strict lesson.

"I'd like to introduce you to Abbot Sawa, he's the head of Lord Kojin's Monastery," said Bata.

Sawa bowed his head curtly. "I am pleased to see you are awake and recovering."

Pan tilted her head curtly in return. "Thank you for taking me in and taking care of me."

Sawa briefly smiled before he frowned. "Pan, do you remember where you came from?"

Pan shook her head and lied. "No, why?"

Sawa rubbed his chin. "There is no record of anyone matching your description anywhere in the world. Everyone is recorded and tracked from birth to death, but you, have no record."

Pan frowned. "Tracked and recorded? Why?"

"It is Lord Kojin's law and it is to be obeyed," said Sawa firmly, "Only illegals and criminals disobey his divine word."

Pan said nothing, not sure what she could possibly come up with. She was however starting to wonder just who this Lord Kojin was. They were making him out to be some kind of god or something.

"Abbot Sawa, it might not be her fault!" said Bata, almost if she were begging.

Pan noticed her tone and began to wonder if she was in trouble. It seemed silly, being in trouble for not being in some crazy, borderline stalker-ish, database. she knew doctors kept some kinds of records, but, everything possible being recorded in a person's life seemed sketchy.

Sawa nodded. "I am aware, she was beaten, cast aside, and left for dead. I can not in good faith lay a penalty upon her. However, the law is the law and I have sent word to the magistrates explaining the situation, and will await their word. Considering your situation Pan, there is hope that the magistrates will find mercy for you. Until then though, you are to be confined to this room."

"Not like I can move anyway," murmured Pan.

Bata gave a small gasp of horror.

"You would be wise, little Pan, to show respect to your elders and superiors," warned Sawa before turning, "Come Bata, she should be left to rest. I think she should also skip dinner for her rudeness, unless of course she is willing to apologize."

Pan could have scowled. Was he really threatening to take dinner away from her for that little comment? Especially considering her condition?

"I'm sorry," murmured Pan.

"Very well, you will be forgiven, this time, but show more reverence in the future," said Sawa.

Pan came to a conclusion after they left, she really didn't like that Sawa guy.

* * *

"Is this the room?" came a loud shrill voice.

Pan winced at the sound and glanced at the door.

"Y-yes Lady Magistrate," came Abbot Sawa's voice.

The door opened, and in walked a lady clothed in a mix of black armor and a white dress. She had short hair like Bata's, her eyes were a hard, unfriendly blue, her face was calm, but not showing hints of being friendly either. She walked over, her chin up, looking down at Pan.

"So, this is her?" asked the Lady Magistrate.

"Y-yes Lady Magistrate," came Sawa's voice.

Pan glanced behind the Magistrate and saw both Saw and Bata standing at a firm, terrified, attention, not moving or budging a muscle. She didn't need to tap into her ki senses to detect how scared they were.

The Lady Magistrate crossed her arms. "Well well well, so your the girl with the fancy bloodwork."

"Bloodwork?" asked Pan, feeling a little confused.

The Lady Magistrate nodded. "Indeed, when you were brought here, a bit of your blood was taken for testing purposes to check for illness or disease."

Pan frowned for a moment before it suddenly hit her. Ut oh... she remembered Bulma once telling her about something like this. If they had checked her blood, they could have looked at her DNA, which means they'd know she wasn't exactly human... Oh boy...

The Lady Magistrate studied her. "Tis such a shame your an amnesiac. Lord Kojin would have preferred to know where a mutant had been born from."

Pan blinked a few times. "Mutant?"

The Lady Magistrate laughed. "You don't even know what you are, do you? Tsk. Tell me, even injured as you are, your suppressed right now, correct?"

Pan nodded.

"Unsupress your power," ordered the Lady Magistrate.

Pan felt unsure of what to do. She knew she had recovered a little bit of her strength, but she had a feeling she shouldn't show anything even remotely close to full. She decided to show a tenth of her weakened power and raised her strength to it.

Immediately the Lady Magistrate's eyes went wide, as did Sawa's and Bata's.

A huge grin spread across the Lady Magistrate's face. "Glorious, and she's not even recovered yet. So young, at full strength she will already be trumping lesser Magistrate's in power. Lord Kojin will be most pleased, most pleased indeed. Such potential, our Lord may favor you greatly."

The Lady Magistrate turned to Sawa. "She is where she belongs. Induct her into the monastery and begin her training once she has recovered. I name her of the elite class. Teach her what she lacks, and fill in what gaps her amnesia has plagued her with. I expect monthly updates on this one's progress, starting with word when she has fully recovered."

Sawa bowed. "Y-yes Lady Magistrate."

The Lady Magistrate glanced at Bata. "Hmm, this, ' _low_ ' class may serve as young Pan's attendant for now, see that her ever whim and desire is fulfilled so long as it does not breech Lord Kojin's will."

Bata bowed deeply. "Y-yes Lady Magistrate."

Pan felt a surge of anger at the Lady Magistrate words to Bata. Who the heck did she think she was talking down to people like that?

With that, the Lady Magistrate left, with Sawa following behind her, closing the door behind them.

Bata turned and bowed deeply to Pan. "I-is there anything you would like me to get you L-lady Pan?"

Pan looked at her in disbelief, shocked by the sudden change "Don't..."

Bata hesitated fearfully. "H-have I offended you somehow Lady Pan?"

Pan was starting to grow frustrated. She had thought this dimension seemed nice at first, but the few things she was starting to recognize about it made her uncomfortable and wary. That Lady Magistrate person had basically told Bata to be her slave, and Pan felt revolted by that.

"I don't want my friends talking to me like that," said Pan.

"F-friends?" said Bata with hesitation.

Pan couldn't believe she thought otherwise. "Yeah, were friends. You've been taking care of me, fixing my gis, and have been really nice to me. Your my friend."

Truthfully, she might be jumped ahead since she hadn't known Bata that long at all, but she didn't need to have. She was a good, caring, and nice person who had gone out of her way to help Pan out. She didn't need anymore of a reason to consider her a friend.

Bata blushed. "I-I'm unworthy of your friendship."

Pan scowled. "Don't say that, if anything, I'm unworthy of yours. I haven't done a nice thing for you."

Bata's face went from red, to beat red with embarrassment.

"And talk normally with me, please. I don't care about that elite class mumbo jumbo that lady was going on about," said Pan.

Bata hesitated. "Well... alright... but..."

Bata walked forward and sat down on the stool, speaking in a hushed tone. "Pan, I understand you have amnesia, but, you can't just refer to her as 'lady', she is the Lady Magistrate, the leader of them all. She is Lord Kojin's favored, only his word is greater than hers. To disrespect her is to invite ruin."

Pan frowned. "Oh."

"You must always show respect to those above your station, even though you..." Bata began.

She hesitated. "E-even though your power and potential are amazing Pan, you must always be respectful. Truth be told, I'm in awe of even being acknowledged by you. But, your young and being elite still holds no sway over being a Magistrate. You have to be careful in how you talk to people. You can easily become a Magistrate one day, maybe even, dare I say, replace the Lady Magistrate herself as Lord Kojin's favored, but not if you get yourself killed."

Killed? Pan was growing very wary of this dimension, she already felt like it had overstayed its welcome and novelty. She wanted nothing more than to leave and take Bata with her. The dimension Terra was in was one thing, but it was fairly straightforward, kill Saiyans or be killed, this place was going to be annoying.

Bata spoke sheepishly. "I can't help but wonder if you'd still remember me if you became our Lord's favored."

Pan scowled. "I never forget my friends."

Bata bowed her head. "T-thank you."

"I still don't like how she was talking down to you. What does 'low' class even mean here?" asked Pan.

Bata looked sad. "Everyone is measured at birth, anyone deemed to have above average potential is taken from their family's and placed within the monastery. As they grow, their strength and abilities determines their class. I didn't measure up well enough to even be average."

Pan looked at her in horror. "Taken from their families?!"

"Its an honor to be chosen and taken to Lord Kojin's Monastery, even if all I ended up as is low class," said Bata.

Pan was trying her hardest not to let her temper flare. This 'class' thing was starting to reminder of the Saiyans, and it was pissing her off. It sounded stupid as hell, especially taking babies from their families. Even ignoring that, in her opinion, Bata wasn't bad at all. Outside of the humans of her father's group, and the Kaio-Ken users of Terra, she was actually powerful for a human... wait... wait a second...

Pan blinked a few times, her ki sense probing the area, it suddenly hit her. Having finally unsupressed herself, Pan started to take note of how high the strength was, for humans, of the people around her scattered through this monastery. There were a few who were really strong for humans without the Kaio-Ken, like, Krillen or Tien levels of strength. Everyone in this monastery was far above normal humans that Pan had grown accustomed to on Earth.

Pan refocused on Bata. "As far as I'm concerned, your elite enough for me."

Bata beamed at her praise. "Your too kind."

Bata fished a few small spools of orange thread out of her robe. "I found some material earlier before the Lady Magistrate arrived, I'll resume fixing your gi for you.

She reached under the bed and gently pulled it out. "I'll have to hand do it though, I'm afraid to try it with the machine lest I rip it."

Pan tested lifting a hand from her none-broken shoulder. "I can help now if you want."

Bata shook her head. "Things like this are a servants work, you need not..."

"You are NOT my servant," said Pan with frustration, "Now let me help!"

Bata hesitated for a moment before slowly draping the gi over Pan's blanket. "Okay."

For the next half an hour, they worked together, fixing the gi's arms. Bata left afterwords, having to resume chores, and promised to be back with dinner in a few hours. Pan laid back in her bed, brooding to herself.

"What I wouldn't give for a Sensu Bean," she muttered.

She wanted nothing more to get up, fly to wherever this Lord Kojin guy was, and pop a fist right into his face. Same with that Lady Magistrate person. Ah well...

* * *

"Hey Bata?" asked Pan.

"Yes Pan?" she replied.

"Can you tell me about this 'Lord Kojin'?" asked Pan, careful to keep her voice neutral as to not offend.

Bata beamed at her. "Ah! Its good you wish to get to know our Lord."

"Umm, sure, who is he and where did he come from?" asked Pan.

"I'm told Lord Kojin came to us over a hundred years ago during a devastating world war. The people and nations of the world were greedily fighting among themselves for land and power. Then, when the fighting reached its peak, Lord Kojin parted the clouds and descended from the heavens," said Bata with reverence.

Pan hid a frown. From the heavens? Sounds like he came from space and was probably an alien.

"In one swift motion, our Lord passed judgement on all those who fought with wickedness, smiting them from the land. He went to each land, smote the wicked, and brought them under his guidance, until most of the world had seen his righteous way and been saved from their greed," continued Bata.

Pan stared at her, feeling sickened. This Kojin was no savior, he was a conqueror, a tyrant. He was no better than the Saiyans.

"The last people so foolish to challenge him weren't so much evil, but misguided. They called themselves martial artists, and fought our Lord, frightened by his power. He saw such potential in them, but regretfully they would not see the light. But, he took their young children under his wing, and thus was born the tradition of this monastery," explained Bata.

Pan was shaking in fury. "And what... does this 'Lord Kojin' look like?"

"Well, he is a giant of a man. His skin, a heavenly teal color, his eyes, a majestic blue, his hair, a fiery orange. Upon his pointed ears he bears gold pointed earrings. He is strongly built, muscles beyond any mortal man. Around his neck he wears a red necklace with a piece of metal hanging from it similar to his earrings. His preferred clothing is the one he arrived in, he wears a long blue cape with a red inside, it wraps around his arms, has a big of bagginess over his shoulders, but leaves his chest bare. His wears a white, grayish baggy pants with a black cloth wrapped around the top. He wears yellow black boots," described Bata, her face looking faint and dreamy.

Pan thought briefly. Had she ever heard of an alien that looked like that? She wasn't really sure, either way, she dismissed him as a big bully she'd pound into the dirt soon enough. He didn't sound so tough...

* * *

Pan gave a yawn, stretching out her arms. She winced briefly, massaging her sore shoulder. She hesitated for a moment before pressing around the shoulder-blade with her fingers. She didn't feel any cracks, so, her own healing plus whatever that healing ointment that had been used on her had certainly done its work. The rest of her body felt damn near in tip top shape. She was more than ready to move around, though, Bata would probably throw a fit if she moved before she was fully recovered.

Oh well, to bad for her.

Pan got up out of bed, took off her bandages, and reached under the bed for her fox gi. The turtle hermit one wasn't nearly repaired enough yet.

The door opened behind her. "Good morning Pa... what are you doing up and moving?!"

Pan winced at Bata's voice. "Getting dressed."

"I told you that you cant wear those here, you have to wear the robes," scolded Bata.

"Well, where are the robes?" asked Pan.

Bata walked over to a small dresser at the other end of the bed and opened it. Oh, derp, guess she hadn't really looked around much. Bata took out a robe about her size and helped her put it on.

"You sure your up for moving around Pan?" asked Bata.

Pan nodded. "More than ready."

"Well, okay, I guess I'll take you to Abbot Sawa," said Bata, "Just remember, once you say to him your ready, you'll be expected to do chores, training, and take classes like everyone else."

Pan shrugged. "That's fine."

"Well, okay then, let's go," said Bata.

Pan nodded, walked behind her, and left the room for the first time in days since she had first woken up there...

* * *

 _Trivia/Facts/Author's Notes:_

 _(1) Incase my description wasn't good enough, Lord Kojin is the same race as Bojack from Bojack Unbound, his name is a mix between two of Bojack's lackeys, Kogo and Bujin. As to his power compared to Bojack, well, that remains to be seen. Maybe he's far weaker, maybe he's far stronger. We will have to see, wont we? (evil smile)_

 _(2) As to why Pan doesn't recognize the description of a h_ _era-seijin_ _, take your pick:_

 _a) Bojack Unbound isn't cannon, thus, this would be their first appearance in DBZ._

 _or_

 _B) Bojack was only a momentary blip on the radar for the Z fighters, not very memorable, and all but forgotten compared to Freeza, Cell, and Majin Buu. So, he was never mentioned to Pan, or only fleetingly._

 _Either or, doesn't really matter to me._


	17. Drawing Attention

_**Potara - Chapter 17: Drawing Attention**_

* * *

Pan glanced around the hallways as they walked, gazed out windows into courtyards and rooms. "Woah..."

The monastery was a giant stone structure with certain wooden parts build into it for rooms. It was beautifully decorated with plants, paintings, and architecture. Pan could see plenty of younger people cleaning and scrubbing various areas, keeping it in pristine condition. She saw a class of students practicing levitating, another in drawing out their ki.

"The monastery is a grand place, isn't it?" said Bata.

Pan nodded slowly. "It ain't bad."

She had to admit, she was curious what it would have been like learning how to use ki, and how to fight, as part of a group rather than one on one with Grandpa. It looked kind of fun...

"Keep up Pan!" called Bata.

Pan gave a start and realized she had been starting to daydream. She ran to catch up and walked behind Bata. After twisting and turning down various hallways, they arrived at the Abbots room. Bata knocked on the door and waited.

"Enter," came Sawa's voice.

The two of them walked in to a surprisingly plain room. All it had was a bed, a mat on the floor, a dresser, and a ground level table with a tea pot and a cup on it. Sawa himself was on the mat, crossed leg, in an almost meditative state.

Sawa slowly broke his meditation and stood up, walking over and looking Pan over. "So, up and well. You've recovered remarkably quickly. I trust you are ready to start pulling your weight around here?"

Pan resisted the urge to growl at him. "I would have helped out if I were able."

Sawa nodded slowly. "Good, a willingness to serve will suit you well.

Pan narrowed her eyes slightly. There was a clear difference between helping out and serving.

"The first lesson you shall have is that of humility and service. No matter who you are and how powerful you may be, we all serve Lord Kojin's will. Bata will take you to the kitchen where you shall do dishes for an hour. Next, you will spend an hour helping to clean the monastery. Afterwords, you shall spend an hour washing and drying clothes. One task for each of the days you were under our care," ordered Sawa.

Pan had been ready to refuse until the last part. It WAS only fair for her to do a bit of work to pay them back for taking care of and feeding her.

"Okay," said Pan.

"You are dismissed, once you are finished, Bata will return you to me," said Sawa.

With that, they left, making their way to the kitchen...

* * *

 _Three hours later..._

Pan walked behind Bata, her nose still wiggling at remembering the bad smell of dirty clothes. The few hours had been quick and event-less, but, infuriatingly informative.

Pan had gone from irritated with how the Lady Magistrate had told Bata to be her attendant to being really pissed. Bata had been following her around and helping her without pause, not just because she wanted to help, but because she was also required to as an 'attendant'.

The people who Pan had seen cleaning earlier were either 'low classes', people being punished for breaking a rule, or those learning 'the first lesson of humility'. It was the same with the dish washing and clothes washing.

It had only taken her about thirty minutes to identify what really differentiated the classes. Power. People around Bata's power were low class. People above them were average or 'mid' class. The elites were the few people of various age of very noticeable power.

But what really bothered Pan about it, was how everyone seemed to naturally go with it. Those in the low class seemed to accept being used in such menial ways, being required to follow elites around and answer their ever whim, and even not talk back when someone of a higher class talked down to them. It worked like clockwork, each class downplayed those below them and sucked up to those above. If it was like this in the monastery, dare Pan even think what it was like outside these wall with the normal citizens?

The way everyone accepted it though, it made Pan question if she had a right to try and change it or not. She frowned as she walked, uncertain of what to do, and merely decided to play along for now. Its not like she could really do much else unless she figured out the green energy Bata had talked about. There mere fact the green energy existed though made Pan hopeful she could one day find a way to use it to return home.

They returned to Sawa's room and entered after knocking.

Sawa glanced towards Bata. "She did her chores as instructed?"

Bata nodded. "Yes."

"Without complaint?" asked Sawa.

Bata nodded again. "Yes."

Sawa studied her face, as if searching for lies, before nodding. "Good, it would have been unfortunate to have to levy a punishment on her first day."

Pan resisted the urge to give him a death glare. She'd like to see him try and punish her, especially for something so trivial as a complaint. She did it all the time back home for her own chores and homework, she used it in a fun way to try to make jokes or...

"Now," said Sawa, breaking her line of though, "I suppose we shall start your lessons. As I am not sure of your exact power and skills, you will be tested. First though, go bathe, afterwards, return to me in the Lord Kojin's arena."

Bata nodded and pulled Pan away and out the door.

"Arena?" asked Pan in confusion.

"Its a training area for elites. Lord Kojin sometimes visits the monastery to view the progress of its students and sits upon his throne overlooking the area," explained Bata.

They walked back into Pan's room and into the bathroom, Pan glanced behind her and gave Bata a curious look. "Um, I can clean myself you know."

Bata scowled. "It's my duty to help you in anyway possible, including keeping you clean and tidy, now get those robes off."

Pan rolled her eyes. "Sure ' _mom_ '."

Bata gave her a quizzical look. "Mom?"

It took Pan a moment to realize Bata, not having been raising in a family, probably wouldn't get it. "Oh, umm, don't mother's clean their kids? I was trying to make a joke."

Bata briefly smiled. "Oh, I see."

Pan took of her robes and sat down in a tub as Bata turned the water on, took a scrub pad and a bar of soap, and began to wash Pan's back. Even though she had been making a joke about it, Pan couldn't help but remember being bathed by her mother when she was younger. She smiled a sad smile, ah the good old days when she was just a little girl.

Pan smirked all of the sudden, a mischievous grin crossing her face. "You know, I'm not the only one whose dirty."

Bata gave her a confused look. "Huh?"

Bata yelped as Pan suddenly dragged her into the tub, sending water flying everywhere. Pan giggled as Bata scowled furiously at her.

"Pan!" she yelled.

"Hee hee, now get those robes off missy, you need some scrubbing to," Pan teased.

Bata rolled her eyes but obeyed, turning her back to Pan. "I'm starting to think your worse than a child."

"Well, I am a ch..." Pan began.

Her word's died suddenly, Pan felt cold, as she looked at Bata's back. Her hand's shook as she drew a finger along various healed scar marks. Bata shivered a little bit and gave her a questioning look over her shoulder.

"Bata... what are these...?" Pan asked, not sure she could take the answer.

"Oh, I used to be a little rambunctious rule breaker when I was younger," explained Bata, "I got punished a lot."

Pan clenched her fists, wrath overtaking her face. There was a brief cackle of power around Pan and sparks of energy. THIS is what Sawa had meant by punishment?!

"P-pan?" asked Bata, suddenly frightened.

"And just how young were you?" asked Pan, her voice dangerous, "And what exactly did you do?"

"U-um... well... when I was five I remember that I was so naive that I dared to call Lord Kojin foolish for one of his laws in front of Abbot Sawa," said Bata, appearing ashamed, "I got whipped a few times for that."

Pan's eyes twitched.

"The next time was when I did a poor job on cleaning the training areas and complained about having to go back and...," continued Bata.

Pan stood up, got out of the tub, grabbed a towel, and left the room, unable to bear hearing another word. Pan sat on her bed and seethed, struggling to contain herself. Right now, she wanted nothing more than to fly through the walls, break down Sawa's door, and rip his head off.

There was a creak of the door as Bata carefully walked out of the bathroom in her own towel and hesitatingly sat down next to Pan. "Pan? What's wrong?"

"..." Pan did not respond.

She didn't know what to say to her, especially when Bata seemed to so readily accept it as normal. She was starting to understand why the people here were like this. It was instilled on them from birth pretty much. They were taught and forced to basically be servants, punished if they refused.

Pan connected another dot in her head all of the sudden. Anyone with potential was taken from their families and raised in this monastery. Kojin's Monastery, under the thumb of those loyal to him, taught nothing but obedience and servitude towards him. No one could change things because anyone who could possibly grow strong enough to challenge this 'Kojin' was basically turned into a servant who revered him.

Pan made up her mind, then and there, she was going to interfere in this world. She'd start right here in this monastery, with those that so readily revered their 'divine' Lord Kojin. First though, she needed to draw Kojin to her and prove to them he wasn't as divine as he seemed.

"Pan? I don't want to push you, but, we ought to get you cleaned up before testing begins," said Bata timidly.

"I'm clean enough," said Pan, her tone thin, making it clear she wasn't in a mood to argue.

Bata immediately went quiet.

Pan reached under her bed and pulled her gi's out, putting on first her turtle hermit one, then the fox one over it. She moved to the end of the bed, opened the dresser, and grabbed a robe to put over them and hide the gis. She then tossed a spare robe to Bata.

Bata did not question her this time, merely quietly clothing herself. Pan knew she had scared the girl, and regretted it, but, this couldn't go on.

"Lead the way Bata," said Pan coldly.

"P-pan? Why are you so angry?" asked Bata, "Did I do something wrong?"

"No one Bata, no one deserves to be punished for something so stupid," said Pan angrily, "Especially in such a way."

Bata hesitated. "Pan... its okay, its how things are done."

"I said: Lead. The. Way." ordered Pan.

A worried look crossed Bata's face, but she obeyed. Five minutes later, Pan was led into a large, circular courtyard with a raised throne on the far end. In the center was a tiled floor, almost look the arena in the tournaments Pan had grown up with. Sawa was standing in the middle of it, waiting.

Pan had to resist every urge she had to put her fist through his chest. She found herself missing the simplicity of Terra. There, you saw a Saiyan, you killed a Saiyan. But no, this required something ' _more_ '.

Sawa nodded curtley to her. "Good, let us begin. I wish to first see what you know. Do you know any of the concepts of meditation?"

"I do," replied Pan in a controlled voice.

"Show me," said Sawa.

Pan adopted Mr. Piccolo's meditative stance, floating a bit above the ground, and softly meditated.

"Woah," whispered Bata.

"An interesting form, tell me, since you can already levitate, can you fly?" asked Sawa.

Pan stopped her meditation, stood up, and flew into the air a bit before stopping to look down upon Sawa. The man clearly looked impressed.

"Well, wherever you came from, you certainly had to have had a skilled teacher," said Sawa, "Now, come back down."

Pan did so and waited.

"I wish to measure your power as to know whom you should be sparring with during training, unsupress yourself," ordered Sawa.

Pan grinned, now was the time. She figured if she showed enough power, she'd draw Kojin's attention and bring him running. He sounded greedy as hell to get anyone of significant power under his thumb. She remembered how much she had shown when the Lady Magistrate's visit, ten percent of her weakened power. The woman had then assumed she'd be as strong as a 'lesser magistrate' when at full strength. However, Pan didn't know how strong that actually was.

Hmm... what power to go to then? She thought briefly, the strongest she had felt in the monastery was around Tien's strength. She decided she'd merely double that. She smiled for a moment, she had come a long way with her training on Terra in the time chamber to be able to so easily rival Tien without using the Kaio-Ken.

Pan narrowed her eyes and raised her energy. Sawa's eyes went wide with shock, Bata gave a small yelp of surprise. Off in the far distance, Pan thought she felt a stirring of energy. She smirked, someone had taken notice.

A solemn look crossed Sawa's face. "So, this is the power of a mutant human, extraordinary."

Pan sneered at him, crossing her arms and tilted her head up.

Sawa frowned at her. "Mind yourself, your power is impressive, but, more powerful is the one who shows proper humbleness and respect before our Lord."

"I respect those who earn it," stated Pan.

Bata gave a small gasp.

Sawa narrowed his eyes. "Watch your tone."

Pan raised a cocky eyebrow at him, she knew she had done enough, based on what Bata had told her, to be punished. She was daring him to try anything. Judging by his restraint, he knew better than to try.

"It would you need lessons in respect and etiquette, Bata, would you show her to Instructor Kori? I'll need to send word to request someone capable of properly training her in power and form," said Sawa, his voice thin.

"Y-yes Abbot Sawa," said Bata.

Pan relaxed her power and followed her out.

Bata led her, to Pan's surprise, into an empty nearby room before closing the door behind them. "Pan..."

"What?" she replied.

"What was that?!" exclaimed Bata fearfully, "You can't so readily disrespect Abbot Sawa and our Lord Kojin!"

"Oh? I think I can," said Pan.

Bata's fear turned into anger. "Now you listen here Pan! I don't care how stupidly strong you think you are! I'm not going to let you get yourself in trouble! Your coming with me, your going to Kori's classes, and your going to learn some manners and that will be that!"

Pan blanked for a moment, suddenly going passive. Woah, Bata just pulled a grandma Chi-Chi...

Bata opened the door, grabbed Pan's arm, and yanked her down the hall...

* * *

Of all the stupid things Pan had ever been forced to do, this took the cake. She was sitting at a desk, in a room full of children, listening to a man read along from a book on how to properly act around 'people of importance'.

What was worse was Bata standing behind her, giving her a deadly look, and preventing her from even thinking about leaving. Pan was stronger than her yes, but that temper and attitude was way to memorable of Grandma Chi-Chi, it was sending shivers down her spine.

Pan looked at the book on her desk to hide a scowl. She had fought a Super Saiyan to the death, yet here she was, terrified of someone who reminded her of Grandma. Pathetic...

"Now, when someone passes you a dish from the other end of the table, what do you say?" asked the instructor.

"Thank you sir or ma'am," the rest of the class echoed.

Pan wanted to groan, was this class seriously a thing? Grandpa, mom, dad, where in the world were they and why weren't they rescuing her from this torture?

* * *

Gohan, Goku, and Videl all of the sudden stopped and sneezed after exiting a portal back into the portal room.

Goku rubbed his nose. "Huh, weird. Wonder what that was."

Both Gohan and Videl shrugged before following Shin and Vegeta into the next portal.

* * *

Pan tiredly walked back to her room, feeling brain-dead after that class. That was more draining then training all day at times thirty Kaio-Ken back in the time chamber. Pan swore to herself, never again would she go through something like that...

"Where do you think your going missy?" said Bata.

Pan winced and turned her head, "Uh... bed? I think I'll skip dinner."

"Oh no you don't, were volunteering to help prepare food for the monastery for dinner," said Bata.

Pan frowned. "Why?"

"Because YOU need to get back into Abbot Sawa's good graces," said Bata.

Pan scowled. "I don't..."

"Now Pan!" warned Bata.

Pan winced again. "Okay okay okay... lead the way."

* * *

The one good thing about making food for other people was getting to sample it yourself first. Pan decided that would be her excuse for having helped out with dinner. There were deserts and pastries here that didn't exist on Earth. _And they were amazing.  
_

"Okay Pan, now that everything is set, let's start delivering to the dinning hall," said Bata.

"Do we really have to hand all the food out to everyone?" asked Pan.

"I'll handle most people along with the other low classes, YOU are going to go serve Abbot Sawa," said Bata.

Pan frowned. "Excuse me?"

Bata gave her a temper fueled look. "Now Pan!"

Pan stared her in the eye, working up the courage she wondered if she could ever replicate against Grandma. "No."

Bata blinked a few times. "No?"

Pan turned and walked out of the kitchen without another word. No way would she ever do anything for that Abbot asshole after learning what he had done to Bata, and probably who knows how many other people. If she knew where he had his whip, she'd rather strangle him with it instead.

Pan walked along the halls quietly, ignoring the other people she passed along the way, and returned to her room. She laid down on her bed, staring up at the ceiling. There was a creak followed by the opening of the door and the patter of a certain girl's footsteps.

"Pan, why are you acting like this all of the sudden?" asked Bata.

Pan looked over at her. "If you don't know, I don't think I can really explain it to you."

"Try me," said Bata.

"Where I come from, you don't get whipped for a little backtalk," spat Pan.

Bata blinked a few times. "Where you come from...?"

"Wait, do you remember now?" asked Bata.

Pan sighed. "I never forgot, I just didn't want to have to explain it."

Bata's eyes went wide. "P-pan! Deceiving Abbot Sawa, deceiving the Lady Magistrate, those are heavy crimes!"

"Your not listening to me Bata!" shouted Pan.

Bata went quiet.

"People don't hurt eachother because of little things like what you did, that's beyond stupid! You might get scolded and have to do a few extra chores, but that's it. If your doing something wrong, people should help you learn, not kami-damn whip you for it! Your just a kid!" said Pan furiously.

"Does... it really offend you that much that I was punished?" asked Bata, a little confused.

"Yes!" answered Pan.

"Oh... um...," stammered Bata, not sure what to say.

"This place is all sorts of wrong. It mixes in the really good, willing to take care of hurt strangers, with the really really bad, whipping little girls because they talked back or were a little rude," said Pan.

"People acting like they are so superior to 'lesser classes', there were some things like that back home, but nothing like this, it's wrong!" said Pan.

"Terra had its excuse for what was wrong with it! It was being destroyed by the Saiyans, people were being killed! What's this world's excuse? The 'divine' word of some alien? There's nothing divine about coming out of space and murdering billions of people!" said Pan furiously.

"Pan...," Bata spoke quietly.

She looked a lost and confused by Pan's outburst. "Just... promise me you won't do anything dangerous, please?"

Pan looked up at the ceiling. "Go to sleep Bata."

Bata looked conflicted, but slowly, she left the room.

"When I meet this 'Lord Kojin', you'll see," murmured Pan, doing her best to try to go to sleep...


	18. Death

_**Potara - Chapter 18: Death**_

* * *

"Pan! Pan! Wake up! Wake up! Lord Kojin is coming to the monastery!" shouted Bata with childlike glee.

Pan blinked a few times, rubbed her eyes, and sat up. "Huh?"

"Abbot Sawa received word that Lord Kojin is coming to the monastery!" shouted Bata again.

Pan smirked, her power up, her challenge last night, was being answered. "When will he be here?"

"Within the hour! Get up! Go take a bath! And get dressed!" Bata shouted.

"You can stop shouting you know," said Pan.

Bata scowled. "Oh you, you have no idea. It's such a treasure to be able to lay our unworthy eyes upon our Lord, its been so long..."

"You've met him before?" asked Pan.

Bata shook her head. "Met? No, I'm not worthy of his notice. I've seen him though, at a distance. Now scoot you! Go get ready!"

Pan obeyed, her smirk still plastered across her face, and took a quick bath. Afterwords, she once again slid her gi's on first, then hid them under her monastery robes. When she crushed this scumbag into the dirt, she'd be doing so in her gi's, not ' _his_ ' monastery's clothes.

The scene Pan walked out to after she stepped out of her room was utter chaos. Everyone, elites, averages, low classes, instructors, and even Abbot Sawa was scrambling to clean and prepare the monastery. Bata brought Pan a broom and a dust pan and began to help clean. Pan wiggled her nose in distaste, but decided to help clean to pass the time.

Thirty minutes later Pan felt something, a stirring in the distance. She frowned for a moment, stretching out her senses, feeling for ki. She could feel something, but, couldn't get a hint of power. She frowned for a moment, that was curious...

"Lord Kojin will be here within minutes!" Abbot Sawa's voice shouted, "Put away your cleaning supplies and come to the main courtyard immediately!"

Everyone scrambled to obey. Pan watched, feeling amused at the spectacle. She followed Bata to the main courtyard. It was after the main gate of the monastery, it had rows of flowers along a single stone path that lead to and split off towards the many monastery buildings.

To her surprise, everyone began to kneel down along the outsides of the path, bowing their heads. Abbot Sawa knelt down on the path itself, waiting. Bata grabbed Pan and forced her to kneel beside her in the far back of the right side of the path. Pan scowled, she didn't want to kneel before some alien scumbag, but, she'd wait for the right time to...

 _Woosh_

The doors of the monastery flew open, and two figures strode in. One was the Lady Magistrate Pan had met when she was recovering. The other...

A chill went down Pan's spine all the sudden as she laid her eyes upon Lord Kojin, she couldn't understand why. He was as Bata had described. Tall and hugely muscular, teal skin, blue eyes, orange hair, baggy clothes. He had a permanent self conceited smirk on his face as he passed his gaze upon those gathered as he walked.

A bead of sweat rolled down her forehead. She couldn't get a feel of his power. He was completely, perfectly masked. But, he was still giving off a presence, an unnerving one. She frowned, her heartbeat starting to race. She couldn't detect anything about him, so why, why was she feeling so nervous?

Lord Kojin and the Lady Magistrate walked up to Abbot Sawa and stopped, Lord Kojin spoke with a powerful, commanding, deep voice, "Rise, my faithful abbot."

Abbot Sawa did as was bidden and rose to his feet. "You honor us with your presence, Lord Kojin. To what, do we owe the pleasure of your divine company?"

Pan resisted the urge to scowl at that kiss ass abbot, right now, she decided she didn't want to draw attention. She needed to try and gauge more about Kojin. She had a feeling there was far more to him than met the eye.

"I have come to personally inspect one who has recently come to reside within my monastery," said Lord Kojin.

Pan could have sworn aloud as a few nearby snuck a glance over at her. Of course he was looking for her, she HAD drawn him out after all.

Pan's face turned white when Lord Kojin casually glanced towards her, a smirk on his face. Their eyes met, and another chill went down Pan's spine. What was with this guy? Why in the world was he getting to her like this?

"Rise young Pan, you and your ' _attendant_ ' will follow me to the arena," ordered Lord Kojin.

Pan felt a lot of uncertainty and fear, both from Bata, and to her chagrin, herself. The two of them rose to their feet, navigated through the kneeling monastery denizens, and stood before Lord Kojin silently, their heads bowed.

Pan froze, going completely still, as Lord Kojin cupped her chin in his hand, raising and turning her face one way, and then the other, inspecting her. "Hmph."

He let go, turned, and started walking down the pathway. Pan felt a surge of anger at being dismissed so easily. She followed behind her, struggling to battle both her anger and her growing unease.

They arrived in the arena. Sawa motioned for them to stand at the center while Lord Kojin approached his throne and sat down. The Lady Magistrate stood next to him, her arms crossed.

"Sawa, Pan's ' _attendant_ ', stand aside," ordered Lord Kojin.

Pan narrowed her eyes, her anger winning the battle in her head at the second time he had talked to Bata like that. "Her name is Bata."

There were twin gasps from Bata and Abbot Sawa at her disrespect. The Lady Magistrate glared daggers at her, but, the only reaction that mattered to Pan was Kojins. He merely smiled a smug smile at her.

"Then, Sawa, and Bata, stand aside," ordered Lord Kojin.

The two quickly scrambled to heed his command. Kojin flickered his gaze briefly to Bata, and the girl froze, utterly petrified. He studied her, briefly, before returning his gaze to Pan. However, he merely stared at her, meeting her gaze, doing and saying nothing, as if he were waiting for something.

Pan stood there, uncertain, sweat rolling down her face. Why was he just staring at her? What did he want? Minutes ticked by slowly, and Pan began to have a hard time not trying to break his gaze and look away.

Finally, she couldn't stand it anymore. "What do you want?!"

There was a gasp again from Sawa and Bata.

The Lady Magistrate uncrossed her arms and glared at Pan. "Mind your tone with our Lord you fool girl!"

Lord Kojin merely smirked at Pan, ignoring everyone else's reactions. "I want you to show it to me. Show me your strength."

Pan quickly recalled the level she had shown before, powered up to it, and waited.

Lord Kojin waited a few moments before tapping his finger against his throne. "I'm still waiting."

Pan blinked a few times. "T-this is my full power."

Lord Kojin raised an eyebrow. "Is it?"

Pan lost a bit of color in he face.

"You are rather bold to lie to my face," said Lord Kojin calmly.

How... how did he know she was holding back?

The Lady Magistrate scowled. "Obey your Lord! Lest you want me to beat your power out of you."

Lord Kojin turned his head towards her, a smirk on his face. "If you attempted to challenge her, you would be the one beaten."

The Lady Magistrate gave him a surprised look. "M-m'lord?"

Lord Kojin turned back to Pan. "Well?"

Pan's mind was whirling. Okay, so, he knew she was holding back. He had really good senses, or, he was strong enough to completely outclass and discern her normal maximum power. She wanted to believe the first, but choose to accept the second. Her feelings up to this point forced her too believe he was somewhat strong. But still, she had the Kaio-Ken up her sleeve to make up any power difference between them.

However, a small voice in the back of her head wondered if she might need Super Saiyan to fight him.

Pan clenched her fists. No! The power of the Super Saiyan was what made Odianna want to kill her, what got her effectively banished from Terra by her escape.

"I'm waiting, do not make me wait long," warned Lord Kojin.

"P-pan! Please do what L-lord Kojin asks of you," begged Bata.

Kojin's eyes briefly flickered to her before returning to Pan. "You should listen to you ' _attendant_ '."

Pan clenched her fists, okay that was strike three! "You want my full power? Fine, you'll get it. Ahhhhhhhhh!"

A blue aura ignited briefly around Pan as she powered up to her normal maximum power, causing the buildings around them to rattle. Sawa and Bata fell to the ground, staring at her in shock, even the Lady Magistrate was dumbstruck. However, Kojin merely looked amused.

"Impressive I suppose for a human, though, as a mutant, I expected more," said Kojin with disappointment.

Pan bristled at his dismissal of her strength, but choose to test the waters with a question that had been bugging her. "What do you mean by 'mutant'?"

"I have journeyed across the stars, little one, have visited countless worlds and peoples," explained Kojin, "On each world, there is generally at least one mutant, maybe a small group or family, perhaps a bloodline. Through some genetic mutation, these few have extraordinary power compared to the rest of their race."

Something about this seemed vaguely familiar. She recalled Vegeta once talking about Freeza and his father in such terms.

"Sometimes, they are just vastly stronger, other-times, they can... transform," said Lord Kojin.

Pan's eyes went wide. No way, there was no way he could know...

"Would you care to demonstrate?" asked Lord Kojin, "After all, I can still feel something lurking below the surface. Your doing very well to try and hide it."

Pan's nerves were starting to crack. T-this guy...

"There's no need to hide it, to fear the power, embrace it Pan, and show it to me," said Lord Kojin.

Pan decided she absolutely had to gauge his power before trying anything. It was more than apparent to her by now she had underestimated him. He hadn't shown a damn thing yet but insight into her abilities, she needed to know what she was up against.

Pan's hair and eyes turned red, her muscles slightly increased as she adopted her Mastered Kaio-Ken times ten state. Bata, Sawa, and the Lady Magistrate stood petrified and shocked by her times ten increase in strength. Pan could feel the shock of those nearby who felt her power. Judging by their reactions, they had never felt a power like hers before.

Did that mean then that she was stronger than Kojin with just the times ten? Or had no one alive experience Kojin's power? She desperately wanted to the know the answer.

Kojin himself was raptly studying Pan with interest. "I see."

He glanced slyly at Abbot Sawa. "I heard of your defiance to the Abbot..."

Pan crossed her arms. "I'm not going to apologize."

"I didn't say you should, after all, why should the concerns of the ' _weak_ ' bother you?" said Kojin with borderline glee, as if he had been looking for a reason to talk down his Abbot.

Sawa bowed his head, but said nothing. Pan however was livid. She didn't like Sawa at all, but, for Kojin to so easily disregard someone who held such faith in him was infuriating. That man's devotion meant nothing to Kojin. Sawa could take ki blast for him and Kojin would probably laugh.

"Though, on the other end of the spectrum, I'm curious why this ' _Bata_ ' interests you enough to show outrage at me merely calling her by her station, she's even weaker than the abbot is," mused Kojin.

Pan clenched her fists. "Whats wrong with you? Just because people are weak is no reason to talk down to them like that!"

Bata and Sawa looked at her, mortified.

Kojin briefly frowned at her. "Wrong with me? You would be wise to mind your tongue."

"Why don't you make me?" dared Pan.

"P-pan! Stop!" squeaked Bata.

Lord Kojin glanced at Bata again before he returned to smirk at Pan. "Ah, how I've missed seeing that arrogance on another's face. To see someone so sure of their strength and power."

Lord Kojin laughed before suddenly, his face contorted with wrath. "But, you are a fool if you think your pitiful power is anything before me."

There it was, Kojin wasn't impressed by the times ten Kaio-Ken. that meant he had to at least be twice, or three times as strong. Hopefully that was it...

"Still, you are to be commended for achieving such a state, and now, I wish to see what this power of yours is capable of. To that end, I think a sparing partner would do," said Lord Kojin with a sadistic grin.

"Bata," called Lord Kojin, "Please take to the ring."

Bata's face grew white with fear, and Pan's with outrage. Did he really expect her to fight Bata like this?

Bata shook as she bowed. "Y-yes L-lord K-kojin..."

She walked, she trembled to the other end of the arena.

"Now, please demonstrate your full power, Pan," ordered Lord Kojin.

Pan glared at her. "She wouldn't survive."

"And?" stated Lord Kojin.

Pan's face twisted in anger. "You... you want me to kill my friend?!"

Lord Kojin shrugged. "If she's too weak to survive a demonstration, then its her own fault. She wouldn't even be worthy of being one of my enforcers."

A gold bolt of energy sparked around Pan. For a brief moment, the rage of the Super Saiyan in Pan threatened to overtake her Kaio-Ken. It took everything to keep that beast caged.

Lord Kojin's eyebrows furrowed. "Hmm."

Pan glared at Kojin. "If you want to see my power, then fight me yourself!"

"Pan! Please, it's okay," said Bata weakly, tears forming in her eyes.

Pan looked at her in shock. "No! It's not okay!"

"J-just do it, don't defy him, please, don't throw your life away for me," begged Bata.

Pan refused to listen and turned to Kojin. "Why don't you send your lady Magistrate against me? She might at least live."

Lord Kojin gave her a perplexed look. "Why would I care if she lived?"

The Lady Magistrate flinched. "M-m'lord..."

Lord Kojin raised a hand and blew a hole through her chest. "The lives of the weak are meaningless things Pan."

Pan watched the Lady Magistrate hit the ground, dead. Pan felt cold, she hated that lady, but this... this was...

"The weak must give way to the strong, Pan, that you would consider defying me over someone as pitiful as your friend here is naive. I'll admit, I did favor this...," Kojin began.

He kicked the woman's corpse away. "...woman, but, I choose to sacrifice her to make you understand. Their lives are playthings to beings like us."

Pan's power was beginning to rise. She was outraged, she was so sick and tired and disgusted of this world. Especially of this man. He was just as bad as any of the villains Grandpa had told her about. Just as bad as the Saiyans plaguing Terra!

Lord Kojin smiled at her. "But, she can be replaced, as any of them can be. However, you Pan, are irreplaceable. You have such potential. I would favor you so, I could train you to become the second most powerful being in the universe, second only to me."

"Your... scum," Pan hissed, starting to lose control of her anger.

Lord Kojin looked like he was starting to grow annoyed. "If you refuse to bend a knee, then you will be punished."

He raised a hand, but instead of aiming it at Pan, he aimed it at Bata. "Perhaps the death of your friend here would help you see reason."

Pan lost it the moment ki began to form in Kojin's hand. "NO!"

She let loose a scream of rage as her mastered Kaio-Ken faded and the yellow light of a Super Saiyan replaced it. Her aura exploaded, her hair spiked, and her eyes turned teal. She surged forward the moment the ki blast exploaded from his hand and bated it away moments before it could hit Bata.

Bata fell onto her back, shock on her face. "P-pan!?"

"You sick bastard!" Pan screamed at him, her mind numb with rage.

She rushed at him, funneling energy down her right arm and threw it at his face with all her might...

It hit...

And didn't budge his face an inch...

Pan's eyes went wide, a mortified expression crossing her face. The moment she had touched him, she felt it, his power, hiding beneath the surface. He was, bare minimum, as strong as a mastered Super Saiyan. She didn't have a chance in hell of beating him. She slowly floated backwards, fear wracking her body.

Lord Kojin stood up, wrath on his face. "You DARE strike me?"

He backhanded Pan across her face, sending her crashing to the floor a ways away. Pan hit and skidded a bit before slowly rising to her feet, her hand massaging her raw face, blood oozing out of her mouth and nose.

Lord Kojin grinned savagely. "Cunning, to hide a second transformation from me. Truly you are remarkable, but, it's pointless. Do you now understand how weak you are compared to me? Kneel, beg forgiveness from me, pledge yourself to me and my service, and I may yet show you mercy."

Pan stood still for only a moment. She registered his demand, but immediately discarded it. She was her Grandpa's granddaughter. She might not stand a chance against him, but she would NEVER submit, she would never back down. She narrowed her eyes, banished her fear, threw off the monastery robes, revealing her gi, and adopted her Grandpa's fighting stance.

The moment she did, Lord Kojin's eyes went wide with surprise and recognition. "That stance, those clothes..."

Lord Kojin's face grew furious. "What a waste. Your one of them, a descendant of those fool martial artists, aren't you? The ones who refused to kneel, even in the face of defeat."

He ground his teeth. "It's a shame really, but, I know the only thing that will end your defiance... is death."

Faster than Pan could follow, he surged forward and slammed a fist into her right rib-cage. Her eyes bulged as it crumpled, shattered, and tore apart the lung behind it. She screamed, blood erupting out of her mouth. He slammed a fist up into her chin, knocking her into the air.

She lost her Super Saiyan aura as she began to fall to the ground. Before she could hit it, Kojin caught her, grabbing her neck, grabbing a leg, and bringing her back down upon his knee. Pan lost all senses in her lower body as he crumpled her body in half, a kami awful snapping sound penetrating the air. He lifted her up, and tossed her limp body to the ground.

Pan laid there, twitching uncontrollably, pain, agonizing pain, rocketing through her.

Lord Kojin aimed a hand at her, a wicked grin spreading across his face. "Goodbye Pan."

Grandpa... mom... dad...

Lord Kojin unleashed a blast of energy, and completely erased Pan from the face of the world.

* * *

Goku stopped walking all of the sudden, feeling a coldness enter his chest that he couldn't explain. He whirled around when a heart wrenching scream escaped Videl's lips.

The woman sank to her knees, screaming at the top of her lungs, "PAN! PAAAAAAAAAAAAAN!"

Vegeta looked at her in confusion. "What is wrong with you, woman?"

Videl began to sob. "Pan's dead... shes dead... my daughter is dead... PAAAAAAAAAAAAAN!"

Goku grew confused. "Videl, there's no way Pan's dead. Calm down a second, Pan's alive, right Gohan, tell her!"

Gohan said nothing, his face white and pale, his fists clenched.

Goku began to tremble. Pan couldn't be dead. She... she just couldn't be dead. He bowed his head, closing his eyes. She couldn't be dead, he could never forgive himself is she was, that she had died because of his one fool wish...

* * *

 _Trivia/Facts/Author's Notes:_

 _I'm an evil bastard._

 _Fret not, the story isn't over yet, not even close. And fortunately for you guys, its Friday and the weekend! I should be able to pump out a few more chapters._


	19. Otherworld

_**Potara - Chapter 19: Otherworld**_

* * *

Pan slowly turned her head back and forth wondering where she was and what had happened. She was standing in a large room, on a red carpet, with small speaking white clouds floating behind her. Outside the building was a long pathway with huge clouds off in the distance. Before her was a huge mahogany desk with a giant blue demon in a red suit sitting behind it staring down at Pan. In his hand was a single piece of paper.

"Hmm, not much to go on with this one," murmured the demon.

Pan's eyes narrowed and suddenly she remembered that she had been in a battle. "What? Wait! Where's Kojin?!"

The demon looked down at her. "Kojin again eh? That one's been quiet for awhile. Used to be really active, wiping out entire planets and sending entire races here."

Pan blinked a few times. "Here...?"

The demon pointed up.

Pan looked up and froze, sighting a halo above her head.

Slowly, and fearfully, she touched it. "I'm... I'm..."

"Your dead," said the Demon bluntly.

Pan slowly fell to her knees, hands against the floor to keep her somewhat upright, tears in her eyes. "No... no... nooooo!"

The demon sighed. "Look kid, don't make a scene here, I have a long enough line to deal with as it is, and passing your judgement is giving me enough of a conundrum to go through."

Pan said nothing, merely looking at the floor, it just hit hard her all the sudden. "I... I guess... I'm not going home..."

The demon nodded solemnly. "You stand before your judgement, and I, King Yanluo, am the sole one who will decide where you go. To heaven, or to hell, or perhaps somewhere in-between considering you were given a replacement body."

Pan blinked a few times before examining herself. She was whole in body, her fox gi, and her turtle hermit gi underneath it still on. Small comforts...

"Now, please stand," ordered King Yanluo, "And no tears, understand?"

Pan slowly rose to her feet and nodded, her face going lax. It hurt... it hurt to know she was dead, and she would never see her family again. She sniffled, wiping at her eyes, trying her best to act brave, Grandpa would have expected that of her.

King Yanluo examined the piece of paper in his hand. "Hmm, its strange, there's almost nothing on you. You just suddenly appeared a few days ago, as if out of thin air."

Pan remained silent, it was actually a fairly true statement for this dimension. It confirmed to her, sadly, that the otherworlds of different dimensions were not connected.

"Hmm, well, you were a little mean to your friend at times, rude to those in stations above you...," began Yanluo, rubbing his chin.

He gave her a wry smile. "But, you have a strong sense of justice, and know right against wrong. You saved your friend's life, you stood up against a tyrant's way of life, and sacrificed your life fighting evil," said Yanluo, "Though, not much came from it."

Pan winced, she cringed at those words, how they hurt. Both times Grandpa had died, he made a difference. Her? She had bit off more than she could chew, she knew she brought on her own death by drawing Kojin to her and trying to take him on, and for what? Unlike Grandpa... unlike Grandpa she hadn't made a damn difference. Pan could do nothing but hang her head in shame.

"Alright, while in my opinion there's not nearly enough in your life to warrant it...," began Yanluo, pausing as if to goad a reaction out of her.

Pan said nothing.

He scowled. "Alright alright. Your too strong to bother with the North Kai, so I'll allow you to go to the Grand Kai's planet to meet others like you. To train with heroes of old."

"I'm no hero," she mumbled, "Heroes don't fail..."

Yanlou raised an eyebrow. "I beg to differ."

He set down the paper, filled through his desk for a stamp, and brought it down on her paper. "Alright, your set to go, one of my helpers will direct you to the spirit car. NEXT!"

* * *

Goku sat down on the edge of a level of portals, letting his legs swing to and fro silently.

"So, what happens now?" asked Shin.

"We keep going," said Gohan, fury and determination in his voice, "Pan might be dead, but I'm not going to just go home. I'm going to find out what happened to my daughter, and if I can, find a way to bring her back."

Goku stood up and walked over. "Yeah! Gohan's right, we can't just give up now and..."

Gohan shot him a warning look. "Don't you dare speak! The only reason Pan's dead is because of you!"

Goku winced, but said nothing in return. He understood Gohan was mad, and truthfully, he was also right. He couldn't fault his son's fury.

"It will be much more difficult now," said Shin, "Locating a world with a living Pan was one thing, trying to find the world she died in will be on a completely other level of difficulty."

"Hmph, all that means is we will need to be more thorough and question the populace," stated Vegeta.

Goku sighed. "Guys, this... is my fault. Let me handle it, go home and I'll keep on going alone. You don't need to keep on..."

"Kakarot, I was already expecting to be gone for years, this changes nothing," stated Vegeta.

"And WE are not going home without our daughter!" said Gohan, helping Videl to her feet.

Goku nodded slowly, a determined look crossing his face. "Alright, lets go then."

* * *

Pan slowly stepped out of the spirit car, a cloud car that kind of reminded her of the flying nimbus, and closed the door behind her.

"Thank you," she mumbled to the driver.

The driver nodded. "Anytime miss."

Pan sighed and turned around after the car left. She glanced down a path leading to a giant white building with one big entrance and tons of windows everywhere. There were pools of water, and tons of spots of green grass everywhere, oddly trapped in squares. There were also a number of people there, all watching her, it was obvious some of them had been fighting judging by their locked arms or raised fists. One of them, a half-pint lizard man that kind of looked like first form Frost, rubbed his chin and walked forward, slowly walking around her.

"Hmm, its been awhile since we've had anyone dropped off here," said the lizard, "And so young too! You musta done something hella good to get here at your age instead of just being sent up above."

The lizard stopped infront of her and held out a hand. "I'm Zeroes, what's your name?"

Pan said nothing, not really feeling like talking.

Zeroes continued to hold out his hand, as if ignoring her distance. "So, what's your story?"

Pan continued to say nothing, starting to get annoyed and wishing he'd go away.

"Judging by the look on her face, a bad ending," called out another from the group.

Zeroes pulled his arm back and scratched behind one of his pointy horns. "Ah, no worries, most of us here are failures too."

Pan lost it, she knew he had been trying to cheer her up but that was NOT the way. She gave a cry of fury, turned Super Saiyan, and hit him across the field into the side of the white building. She crossed the distance, slammed an open palm into his chest, and pinned him against the building.

"I TRIED!" she screamed at him in rage, "I hit Kojin with EVERYTHING I had and it did NOTHING!"

Zeroes was shocked, and momentarily speechless before he gave a nervous laugh. "You too huh? Kojin killed me about a thousand years ago, kicked my ass pretty bad, at least I got a few hits though."

Pan glared at him, her temper flaring. She had just died, she did not need this right now.

A hand gently gripped her shoulder. "I understand your frustrated and angry, but taking it out on him isn't the right thing to do."

Pan turned her head to glare at whoever it was before she froze. This guy... he...

Before her stood an old, kind looking human male. He was balding, gray hair's on the side top of his head, with a small gray mustache. But what dumbstruck her was the giant turtle shell across his back, and the orange turtle hermit gi he wore.

"Turtle... hermit...?," Pan whispered in confusion, her anger and Super Saiyan aura fading.

The Turtle Hermit raised an eyebrow. "Oh? You've heard of me. I'm glad whoever is keeping the martial arts alive..."

He glanced at her gi. "This 'fox hermit', still remembers an old fuddy duddy like me and tells his pupils."

Pan stared at him in disbelief and slowly took her palm off Zeroes' chest. She glanced at his gi a second time before she took off her fox gi, revealing her ruined turtle hermit gi underneath.

The Turtle Hermit gave a start. "Eh? I'm pretty sure all my apprentices died with me, who in the world is keeping my school alive?"

Pan frowned. What the hell was this? What were the chances of there being a Turtle Hermit in this dimension? This... was way to much to possibly be a coincidence, there was something else going on here. Her previous fury was completely replaced by curiosity. However... before she could give it anymore thought...

She glanced at his hand on shoulder with a frown. "Master Roshi is an old pervert, you aren't one are you?"

The Turtle Hermit's eyes went wide and took his hand off her. "Goodness graces no! I'm appalled to hear that some old sleaze is the one whose taken up my mantle. Pah, dark times for our homeworld I say."

The Turtle Hermit's gaze darkened. "He didn't... do anything to you as a requirement for lessons... did he?"

Pan shook her head. "No, he might be a pervert, but only for actual laddies."

The Turtle Hermit sighed with relief. "Phew."

He offered a hand. "Well, proper introductions are in order, I am Master Cheikame."

Pan felt... relaxed, for some reason, being near this guy, she took his hand. "I'm Pan."

He gave her a smile. "Its nice to meet you Pan."

She looked up into his eyes, and knew on first sight he was one of the kindest most gentlest men she had ever met. "Its nice to meet you too."

He held up his hand and pointed a wagging finger towards her. "You ought to apologize to Zeroes, he meant you no ill will."

Pan scowled a little before turning to the frost-lookalike. "Sorry."

Zeroes shrugged. "It's fine, I'm not really good with words and knowing what to say. It's why I always kicked evil butt then high tailed it outa there before the media got all over me and the laddies got all gushy."

Pan couldn't help but smirk at him. She had always been led to believe his race was nothing but evil, especially after learning that Frost had been faking being good back the first time her Grandpa had met him. This guy though, you couldn't get to this planet unless you were good.

Cheikame tugged her hand. "Now Pan, I know you probably don't want to, but, could we go sit over there and have you till me what happened."

Pan nodded slowly. "Okay."

Cheikame led her to the shade of a tree and sat down. "So, you went up against Kojin?"

Pan nodded and sighed, bowing her head. "Yeah, he... killed me in five hits. A slap, two punches, broke my back over his knee, and blew me up."

Cheikame winced. "Damn, I swear he sounds more ruthless than when I fought him."

Pan looked up. "You... fought him?"

Cheikame laughed. "If you could call it a fight."

Pan nodded slowly, testing her senses against him. He seemed strong for a human. Roshi was nothing compared to this guy, he seemed even stronger than Tien, and he wasn't even powered up. Pan guessed he probably trained a lot in the afterlife.

"So... he hunted you down too?" asked Cheikame.

"No, I foolishly lured him to me, I figured he'd be greedy to get someone strong under his boot," said Pan.

Cheikame raised an eyebrow. "You ' _lured_ ' Kojin to you? I'll give you credit, baiting Kojin into a fight like that must of taken some nerve."

Pan shook her head. "I... had no idea what I was going up against when I first lured him in. From the moment I first laid eyes on him I... well, my mind refused to accept it, but my body knew I was outclassed, badly. He knew it to, he could read me like a book, though, he didn't predict Super Saiyan... not that I wanted to use that damn transformation, not that it mattered..."

Cheikame tilted his head. "Super Saiyan? Is that the yellow aura, spiky hair thing?"

Pan scowled. "Its a ' _thing_ ' of monsters."

Cheikame gazed at her, and for a moment, his eyes flashed blue before it faded. Pan felt curious, wondering what he had just done. She didn't feel any different, nor did she detect any difference in him either.

"Monsters you say? Well, what have these monster's done?" asked the old man.

Pan narrowed her eyes, clenching her fists. "Murdered, slaughter, billions of people. Destroyed worlds, ended civilizations... they... killed my friends... innocent lives..."

Cheikame nodded slowly, she was surprised to see him so readily accept her words without disbelief. "I see, tell me, can your family do this transformation too?"

Pan blinked a few times, that was a very good guess on his part. "Yeah, me, my dad, his brother, and my _grandpa_."

Cheikame studied her. "You seem to hold your grandfather in such reverence, so tell me, Pan, is your grandfather a monster?"

Before Pan could stop herself, she was in Super Saiyan, and lifting the old man up by his throat. "DON'T YOU DARE! My Grandfather saved the Earth countless times! Saved the universe! Hell, he fought once to bring back eleven universes that had been destroyed! He's a hero that **NONE** of you can ever compare with!"

The old man smiled, he choked out a few words. "But... he has... your Super Saiyan... power... so answer the question... is he a monster?"

Pan froze, the question shattered her anger, and she lost her power at its words. She set the man down and looked away. S-she felt so shaken, had not an ounce of confidence in her own words and thoughts...

"N-no, my Grandpa isn't a monster," she mumbled.

"Are you a monster?" asked Cheikame.

"No," mumbled Pan.

Cheikame put a hand on her shoulder. "Pan, its not the power, but the person. Your Grandfather did great things with it when others would have done great evil with it, have done great evil with it. Don't hate it, or people like you, just because the actions of others."

Pan couldn't bear to look him in the eye as he spoke.

"Truth be told Pan, you thinking the power was that of a monster is probably why you died in the first place," said Cheikame.

Pan gave a start. "W-what?"

Cheikame gave her a wink. "Your blind and insatiable rage while transformed. If I had to guess, you have almost no experience with this transformation. If you had mastered it, I think you probably could have defeated Kojin with it."

Pan hung her head and began to shake. The truth, the awful, awful truth. He... he was right... a mastered Super Saiyan could have taken on Kojin. Hell, if she had used the time chamber properly, she might have been able to push herself to Super Saiyan 2. She... she had refused her heritage, blinded by her resentment towards it. She could even remember resenting her family a bit for their Saiyan blood. Fool, what a fool she had been...

"Maybe so, but, it still doesn't make what the Saiyans have done right," she whispered.

"Maybe not, but your not like them, are you? Neither is your family, I say you ought to go master this 'Super Saiyan' transformation," said Cheikame.

Pan sighed. "Its pointless now."

Cheikame smirked. "Maybe for now, but just remember one thing Pan. Everyone dies some day, including Kojin. Would you like to be first in line to kick his butt when his day of judgement comes and he arrives in otherworld?"

Pan's eyes went wide before narrowing. She felt it, her blood boiling, her anger, and hatred rising. She smelt it, the prospect of revenge. She knew she'd never be able to go home. But, the prospect of getting revenge on the person who had robbed her of the chance of seeing her family again was oh so enticing.

"Yes...," she whispered hungrily.

"Then get training," he ordered, his voice suddenly sounding unsure and wary.

* * *

Turtle Hermit Cheikame watched Pan leave, moving a distance away, power up to Super Saiyan, and begin training. He was hesitant, that last moment before she left, he had felt her ki darken considerably. If she had been judged with that dark edge to her ki, she would never had been admitted here. Still...

He winced as a hand firmly gripped his shoulder, he glanced up to see Zeroes glaring furiously down at him. "How could you..."

Zeroes fumed. "I saw what you did! Your eyes flashed. You fucking _Soul Searched_ her! You had no right to invade her mind and soul like that!"

"I had to be sure," replied the Turtle Hermit.

Zeroes eyes narrowed. "Sure of what?"

"Of my choice," replied the Turtle Hermit.

Zeroes let go, startled. "Wait, your going to choose HER?"

The Turtle Hermit nodded. "You didn't see what I saw by seeing her life. The godlike power that a Super Saiyan can wield. She is but at the foot of a giant mountain without any possible peak. She has barely begun to experience its power for herself. She can free our universe of Kojin with ease."

He frowned momentarily. "Giving her a second chance to defeat Kojin, since she can do so, is reason enough. Plus... I think she needs to go home, and very soon."

Zeroes cocked his head. "What do you mean?"

"She was such a sweet and innocent girl before she was ripped from her home. She knew of evil through stories alone, she had never experienced it first hand. But... she's now experienced it, and it wasn't gradually. She was thrown headfirst against evil and saw it firsthand in awful ways that someone her age never should have," explained the Turtle Hermit.

He turned his head to gaze directly into Zeroes eyes. "That little girl, not even ten years old, has killed people. Ruthless evil people to be sure, but she had been forced, by a being driven by a hatred you and I can never fathom, to take life. She had started, at the end, to enjoy doing so, to slay evil made her feel righteous."

Zeroes frowned. "There is a _very_ thin line to walk between slaying righteously, and slaying to feel righteous. You should _never_ enjoy taking the life of another. If what your saying is true, I don't think you should give her a second chance."

Cheikame sighed. "Its even worse now. Surely you felt it, I might have pushed her towards it with the promise of revenge, but that ki... that dark feeling slowly building... she feels like she has nothing to lose anymore by embracing such darkness."

"She's walking the edge," said Zeroes calmly, "And if what you say about her power is true, and she passes over that line, there isn't a being in this universe aside from our damn lazy ass god of destruction that could stop her."

Cheikame nodded. "I know, that's why she needs to go home. Her experience on the world of Terra was one thing. If she had gone home afterwards, she would have recovered well enough in the care of her friends and family. But to experience a darkness like that, followed again by another darkness like Kojin, it can darken the soul, make one lose sight of the good in life. We need moments of life, of joy and happiness to counteract such events, especially at such an age."

Cheikame slowly moved past Zeroes. "I want to give her such a chance. Now, if you'll excuse me, I need to go see the Grand Kai so he can put me in touch with a certain green friend of mine on my homeworld..."

* * *

Bata sat behind a tree outside the monastery, sobbing into her hands uncontrollably.

Why? Why Pan? Why had she challenged Lord Kojin like that and thrown her life away?

She trembled, the events since Pan's death cascading through her mind. She had thought she would die, when Lord Kojin had gazed at her after killing Pan. Instead... instead... he had ordered her to ' _clean up this mess_ ', pointing towards the blackened ki burn and the blood stains on the arena ground. He had watched as she scrubbed the floor, a sadistic smile on his face the entire time. Afterwords, he had simply disintegrated the Lady Magistrate's corpse, told her to clean that up to, and left.

How could he... she had been taught to worship him as a divine and just god, a kind one, but to still respect and fear him. How could he do this? How could he have murdered Pan in cold blood like that? Murdered the Lady Magistrate and acted so cruel?

She trembled, her sadness slowly turning to fury. "It... it isn't right!"

She screamed. "IT ISN'T RIGHT!"

She began sobbing again. "P-pan was right... Pan was right... no one deserves to have such awful things done to them, to be murdered like that."

She put her head between her knees. "It's all wrong, nothing about it is right. It's all lies... Kojin... Kojin is no god, he's an evil, evil man!"

There was a soft patter of feet on the grass. Bata looked up, teary eyes, to see a strange old green man, dressed in a white robe with a strange symbol on its center, with droopy antennae on his forehead, standing there. Hanging from his neck on a necklace, was the most peculiar orange orb with a single star on it.

Bata felt lost, she had never seen such a man before...

"What would you give, what would you do, to have the chance to set things right? To bring your friend Pan back to life, and free the world of Kojin?" asked the green man, leaning down to offer a hand.

Bata looked at his, stunned for a moment, before she took his hand. "Anything..."


	20. Training the Dead

**Potara - Chapter 20: Training the Dead**

* * *

"You know, for training, I didn't think you'd just be sitting over here brooding," came a voice behind Pan.

Pan turned her head and saw Zeroes walking over. "This IS training. Maintaining Super Saiyan all the time is the next step."

Zeroes cocked his head. "Really?"

Pan nodded. "Yeah... well... kind of."

Zeroes crossed his arms.

"I'm kind of skipping the big muscle forms and going straight for the end," said Pan with a smirk.

Zeroes laughed. "Amusing."

Pan sighed. "I'll only be 'brooding' as you call it for a little bit. My body has to get used to this state before I can really start training hard in it. To be honest though, I'm surprised I've been able to hold Super Saiyan for as long as I have since I began. My stomach feels all twisty, but..."

"Well, you ARE dead Pan," said Zeroes.

Pan frowned. "Whats that got to do with anything?"

Zeroes laughed again. "I didn't realize it at first either. Our dead bodies aren't as limited as our live ones. We can push ourselves far harder while dead. Not to mention, while we can sleep, we don't have to."

Pan nodded slowly, a wicked grin spreading across her face. "That means I can push myself twice as hard, twice as fast!"

She rubbed her hands greedily. "By the time Kojin dies of natural causes, I'll easily be a master of Super Saiyan 3, I'd say I'd be blue, but I don't think i can achieve that level without another Blue, a god of destruction, or an Angel's training. But, three is fine, I'll totally knock Kojin's head off in one hit."

She narrowed her eyes. "Though, I'm not sure I want to make it that quick for him. He has a lot to pay for."

Zeroes frowned. "Pan, you shouldn't talk like that."

She scowled at him. "Doesn't he? I've been overhearing people talk. Kojin has sent A LOT of people here, if I had to guess, half the people on this planet were murdered by him."

Zeroes scowled right back at her. "And? Just because he's scum doesn't mean we have to stoop to his level."

She glared at him. "Watch it Zeroes."

He didn't back down. "I overheard you and the Turtle Hermit talking, didn't you say you were nothing like the other Saiyans?"

Pan trembled in anger and stood up. "How dare you!"

Zeroes walked to within an inch of her. "Dare I? Yeah, I dare. Pan, what would your Grandfather say if he heard you talk about torturing someone?"

Pan froze for a moment before she turned away and resuming sitting down. "I don't know, he's not here to say anything now is he?"

Zeroes sat down in front of her. "No, but if he's anything like my own Grandpa, I know what he'd say, and so do you."

Pan sighed. "I'm just..."

"Angry? Resentful? Super fricking pissed?" asked Zeroes with humor.

Pan rolled her eyes. "All of the above and more."

"Well, get over it," replied Zeroes.

Pan blinked a few times. "Get... over... it? Seriously? I've been dead less than a day!"

Zeroes shrugged. "Yeah? Well, you wont be able to calm down and master this 'Super Saiyan' form of yours if your so angry all the time."

Pan scowled. "Says the guy who probably cant even master his final form so he stays in his first one all the time."

Zeroes looked at her in shock. "How do you know about my forms?!"

Pan smirked at him. "My little secret."

She stuck her tongue out at him. "So Mr. 'master this Super Saiyan form', why can't you master your final form?"

Zeroes looked ashamed. "W-well... I can't really control it at all. I lose control of my energy and blow everything up. The last time was against Kojin, and I did more damage to the planet than he did."

"Typical of your race," said Pan

Zeroes eyes twitched. "Typical!?"

"Ayup, its what I've been told by my Grandpa. Anyway, if you wana learn to control it, just transform and do what I'm doing," said Pan.

Zeroes stared at her. "You can't be serious."

"I am, besides, I'm going to need a sparring partner if I really want to grow stronger. My Grandpa taught me that training alone is bad, its why Vegeta always falls behind," said Pan with amusement.

Zeroes frowned. "I refuse."

Pan crossed her arms. "I'm gonna beat the form out of you if you refuse."

"I am not going to destroy the Grand Kai's world by sparring with a bratty little girl!" said Zeroes.

Pan frowned. "First, I'm not a brat. Second, we won't be sparring until BOTH of us have achieved a mastered state. Third, Grandpa's told me that Kai's can create stuff out of thin air, if we break the world, they can just snap their fingers and fix it. Now get on with it and transform!"

Zeroes stared at her in silence for a moment. "Why are you so adamant?"

"Because if I'm going to be kami-damned stuck on this world for hundreds, maybe thousands of years until Kojin dies to get the chance to kill him, then I NEED someone to fight against," snarled Pan, her temper rising, but even with the temper, there was pain underneath it.

Zeroes frowned for a moment before he stood up and walked away. "I'll think about it."

* * *

"Why don't you want me to tell her?" asked Zeroes.

The Turtle Hermit glanced off at Pan in the distance. "Because I'm afraid she will get hot headed and want to go back and fight Kojin him before she is ready."

Zeroes crossed his arms. "Keeping your plans to have her revived from her is going to piss her off when she finds out. Speaking of which..."

"They have two dragonballs at the moment," said the Turtle Hermit, "They will hold off on using the dragon until we send word even after they've found all seven."

Zeroes frowned. "I still think its a bad idea to not tell her. It could make her worse, she is not taking well to being dead. It seems more than just raw anger though, that pain I heard was..."

"The pain of a permanent loss," replied Cheikame, "She believes she wont ever see her family again. Its complicated to explain, they would not end up in this otherworld when they die."

Zeroes tilted his head in confusion. "But then, why would you keep it from her? Weren't you just telling me earlier you were worried about her, that you thought she needed a source of hope?"

Cheikame sighed. "I know. I measured both options in my mind, but, Kais forgive me, I found that after studying her memories and knowledge of her family's past struggles, her anger would be a better source of power and determination for this training and upcoming battle. She may adore her Grandfather, but she is more like her father than him, at least in terms of how her power works. The rage of the hybrid is far more potent than you can imagine, so potent that I am absolutely terrified of it."

Zeroes rubbed his chin. "Hmm."

Cheikame looked a bit ill. "To be frank, their universe is fortunate that the human Saiyan hybrids don't show the level of battle-lust as the pure breeds. Her father had the potential to easily be the most powerful mortal in all of their universe, instead, he'd rather be a scholar."

Zeroes gave him a look of disbelief. "Most powerful mortal in their universe?!"

Cheikame nodded. "Yes, and his universe should be grateful that he chose the path of wisdom instead of pursuing the path to power and potentially being twisted by it. Their family is pure of heart, but, if Pan here is any example, even purity can become corrupted if worked at long enough in all the wrong ways at the wrong times."

Zeroes frowned. "So what your saying is were playing with fire right now, because if her father had that potential, what about ' _her_ '?"

Cheikame raised an eyebrow. "Isn't it obvious?"

Zeroes gave an exasperated sigh. "Old man, sometimes, I don't know what to think of you."

Cheikame brought up a hand to fiddle with his mustache, a soft smile on his lips. "By the way, you should do what she asked of you."

Zeroes flinched. "Seriously?"

Cheikame nodded. "Yes, for one it will help you. For two, it will help her, and more than just with training. Having a rival is good for Saiyans, judging from what I understand of her Grandfather and 'Vegeta'."

Zeroes scowled. "She won't be here long enough for us to really be rivals."

Cheikame shrugged and walked away, leaving Zeroes to sigh and walk back towards Pan.

* * *

Pan watched Zeroes walk back over, giving him a curious look as he walked in a ways in front of her. He turned to look at her, an uneasy frown on his face.

"Brace yourself," Zeroes ordered.

Pan's eyes went wide as she felt his ki spike and practically explode around the goody two shoes lizard. There was a humongous eruption of energy that sent Pan flying before it slowly contorted into a purple aura around the now transformed Zeroes. Pan blinked a few times, looking him over, her looked more Freeza than Frost. His entire body was white, save for the orbs on his head, shoulders, and his wrist guards and ankles, which were red.

Pan flew over to him, noting that he was trembling, and his aura was spiking sporadically, she sat down and motioned to the ground in front of her. "Sit."

Zeroes did so, moving as carefully as he could. Pan studied him, that energy, he wasn't bad at all. She had been expecting him to be rather weak since he didn't use his final form, but she was pleasantly surprised to find that wasn't the case...

She faltered for a moment when she compared herself to him, she wasn't alarmed or anything, in fact, she was very much eager. Her blood was starting to boil, they were actually very close in power. She hadn't had a real fight since Tato. After deciding not to suppress her Saiyan side anymore, she found she was beginning to crave a fight, and badly. She grumbled to herself, she had told Zeroes they wouldn't spar until they mastered their transformations.

She sighed. "This is going to be a long few months..."

* * *

Pan quickly found, as days and weeks flew by, that Zeroes was right. Training while dead had extreme advantages. While Zeroes was still struggling not to accidentally blow up anything while moving around, she was already pushing herself to her limits each and every day.

There was only one slight drawback though...

She was already dead, she didn't get any 'come back from near death' power boosts for beating herself up.

Pan scowled. "I'll take what I can get I guess."

Zeroes glanced over at her. "Something the matter?"

Pan shook her head. "Nah, hows it goin for you sparky?"

"Sparky?!" exclaimed Zeroes.

"Well, considering your power sparks off you every-time you move, its a good nickname," joked Pan.

"No, absolutely not!" denied Zeroes.

Pan only grinned at him. It was really easy to rile him up, it was kind of fun to be honest. She was starting to see why Vegeta always taunted people, getting a rise out of them was amusing. Though, it was kind of a cheap thrill. She wasn't sure if she should drop the tactic or not.

"Look out, the geezer's coming," warned Zeroes.

Pan turned her head and glanced at the slowly approaching Turtle Hermit before turning back to Zeroes. "I thought you liked him? Where'd that 'geezer' statement come from?"

Zeroes frowned. "He's... made a few questionable decisions as of late in my mind."

Pan raised an eyebrow, waiting for an explanation, but none was given.

Cheikame finished walking over and approached Pan. "Come with me please, I have something I want to teach you."

Pan frowned. "Teach me? Erm, I'm kind of training here..."

Cheikame gave her a look. "Yes, yes I see that, and I've seen you use my Kamehameha wave too, but, only the basic and bending versions of it."

Pan blanked for a moment. "H...huh?"

Cheikame smirked. "Exactly, come with me please."

Pan slowly followed him. Two things were bothering here at the moment. One, his actual question. She had only ever seen the technique used like she usually did it. Charge the blast in her cupped hands, and fire it. You could bend it if you changed how you funneled your energy, and you could also fire it out of other limbs. His statement hinted at 'other' versions if it, but if they did exist, did that mean Grandpa had been holding them back from her?

She scowled. "Of course he was, I'm a little girl after all."

Cheikame glanced back at her. "Hmm?"

She shook her head. "Nothing."

The other thing that was bothering her was something she should have given more thought to weeks ago. Cheikame was the Turtle Hermit. He wasn't quite like Master Roshi, but, he had the exact same moves as the old man, obviously knew the Kamehameha Wave, and wore exact same gi as the Turtle Hermit School. She had seen him spar off in the distance once or twice with the other dead heroes here, he had the exact same moves she had seen Krillin use whenever she saw him spar.

He was indeed another Turtle Hermit. But how in the hell could there be two of the same, albeit somewhat different, person? Even if it were possible, how had she just 'coincidentally' ended up in the right dimension to encounter him?

Not to mention...

Her own dimension. The twelve universes were each full of completely different races, except for universe seven and six being twins. She had thought that maybe her dimension and the dimension the world of Terra were in might have been 'twin dimensions' since they shared similar races, and even held other similarities like the lookout, time chamber, and dragonballs. But...

"What are the odds of me ending up in two separate dimensions that both have humans, and one even had Saiyans in it as well?" she questioned herself quietly.

It was no coincidence. That's what she determined. So how was it chosen where she would go? She thought for a moment before it hit her, what Bata had said, the green energy she had apparently been surrounded in when she arrived in this dimension...

"I sought them out," whispered Pan, stopping in her tracks.

It was so obvious to her! The green energy, she could somehow travel between dimensions, uncontrollably maybe, but that's why she had ended up in Terra, and this one. She had unconsciously sought out dimensions similar to her own!

Pan bowed her head. "If I could have learned to use that green energy... I could have figured out how to send myself home..."

She closed her eyes, despite being dead, she felt fatigued. Tired by not realizing that she had the ability, and also tired by the fact that it didn't matter now. It only infuriated her even more.

"Pan? Are you coming?" asked Cheikame.

Pan nodded. "Yeah..."

So be it, she had screwed it all up. She'd suffer the consequences of getting herself killed. She'd train, she'd kill Kojin's soul when he eventually died, then... maybe... she'd kill her own soul. She'd rather not spend an eternity without her family. Or, maybe she'd ask to be reincarnated instead, self soul-destruction seemed a bit extreme. Who knows, that battle was a LONG time off, she'd think about it again afterwards.

She felt a little depressed by the thought of her fate, but merely sighed and kept on walking.

Cheikame stopped her a ways away. "Now, watch."

Pan's grimaced as the man's body bulged and he adopted a form similar to Master Roshi's huge muscle state. Ewwww, that giant muscles everywhere looked grrroooosssssss. Its one of the reasons she hadn't sought out the augmented forms of the Super Saiyan state. She did NOT want to see herself looking like this man right here. She didn't mind seeing natural big muscles, like on Grandpa and Vegeta, but this was absurd.

The Turtle Hermit cupped his hands to his side. "Super..."

The energy orb appeared in his hands, but unlike normal for Pan, it was shinning brightly, giving off rays of blue light.

"Kaaaaaa," continued the old man.

The area tinted blue.

"Meeeeee," continued the old man.

Pan's eyes went wide as the blue energy of the Kamehameha surrounded the entirety of the old man's body.

"Haaaaaa," continued the old man.

His power was skyrocketing higher and higher. Pan was already analyzing the change in the technique. He was putting more percentage energy into it than Pan had ever done herself. Its like he was pouring his entire ki into it. She always fired it as a combat move and then moved on. This... what she saw now...

"Meeeeee," continued the old man.

This was a finishing move, something that could destroy worlds with ease.

"HAAAAAA!" roared the old man.

He threw his hands forward and the energy wave exploded. It was huge in size, far bigger than the small beams Pan was used to firing. But what awestruck her was the continued blue aura around the old man, its like his entire body was dyed the color of the energy wave. He wasn't just firing once and being done with it. He was continuing to pump more and more energy into it.

"AHHHHH!" roared the old man.

Pan gave a surprise gasp as the super Kamehameha wave BURST. The beam exploded in size, its width and size greater than Pan's body. He had just added onto the energy wave after the fact, and pushed even more energy down it. The old man let go if it a moment later, powering down and falling to his knees in exhaustion as the beam carried off into the distance.

"Super Kamehameha... Grandpa... you should have taught me this," whispered Pan with frustration.

"So... 'huff'... do you think... 'huff'... you can do this? asked Cheikame.

Pan nodded slowly, she had momentarily considered being a smartass, but, he had just given her a _very_ powerful technique. "Yeah, I think I can. Thank you for showing it to me."

She glanced over at Zeroes, who was watching nearby, before she whispered to herself, "Alright you damn lizard, you better master that final form of yours soon. I can't wait to start fighting..."

* * *

 _Trivia/Facts/Author's Notes:_

 _So, I haven't decided yet if I want the next chapter to be a few month timeskip + the revival and conclusion of this arc, or if I want to prolong the dead training session to include a Pan VS Zeroes. Because, to be frank, it would just be filler like Goku VS Pikon. I could potentially use the fight to showcase Pan's state of mind, but, I think I already did that enough the last two chapters, especially with Pan questioning what to do with herself after Kojin is dead.  
_

 _I'll mull it over and give you guys some time to input, like, an hour or two. Ima go read some fanfics or something in the meantime. ALSO! Whose looking forward to dragonball super's actual universal survival arc? I wont edit the earlier chapters to fit in the true survival arc the show will have, but, it should be fun to see._


	21. The Pain of Loss

_**Potara - Chapter 21: The Pain of Loss**_

* * *

 _Three months later..._

Pan laid down on the lawn outside of the Grand Kai's palace, staring up into the sky. She let out a breath, gently moving her Super Saiyan hair out of the way. Day in and day out since she got here roughly four months ago, she had pushed herself without eating or sleeping. Grandpa might have had thrown a fit, even if he didn't need to eat while dead, but she didn't really care. In four months, she had gotten roughly eight months of training. Not to mention, since she was dead, she could push herself far harder.

She could hold her Super Saiyan state effortlessly. She had been able to for some time, roughly after the first all nighter all monther she had gone through, but, merely having a mastered state didn't mean she was strong with it. It amused her in a way, she had to have been the weakest mastered Super Saiyan ever, having bum rushed for the state. That hadn't lasted long though.

She glanced over at the still unconscious form of Zeroes laying a ways away. The goody two shoes lizard was leaps and bounds better than he had been to begin with, but he couldn't keep up with her. She found it a little strange to be frank.

She remembered her Grandpa's story of 'Golden Freeza'. In a few months the tyrant had pushed himself from weaker than her Grandpa's first time Super Saiyan power to rivaling the power of Super Saiyan Blue. Zeroes certainly didn't appear to be having such a miraculous power jump. It made her actually rather curious just how Freeza had become so powerful in such a short time.

She had been hoping to use Zeroes as a way to greatly cascade her growth, perhaps even reach Super Saiyan Blue if he could ever achieve a golden form to challenge her. But, it seemed that wasn't meant to be. He had just barely stopped chugging power by merely being at his one-hundred percent full power, which was enough to give her a warmup, but, she had stopped making progress of her own fighting him weeks ago.

She sighed, feeling miserable without a challenge, and with her only real purpose of killing Kojin who knows how many hundreds or thousands of years away. To be frank... she was starting to wonder if waiting around to kill his soul was even worth it...

* * *

Cheikame watched Pan from a distance. The girl had gone quiet as of late, and hadn't been taking her training, or Zeroes, seriously. She had reached a peak, in a sense, and with nothing to help her break through it, she would slowly start to lose her edge. That however wasn't the most concerning thing to him...

He had constantly Soul Searched her, at least once a day, though never when Zeroes was watching. At first, it had been to keep tabs on her state of mind, then out of concern. Despite her anger against Kojin, and what had happened on Terra, Pan wasn't a naturally violent and angry person. He should have been happy to see her anger start to fade, but not with what replaced it.

He had watched her starting to slip into depression, and it was worrying him. If she didn't have her anger to hold onto, then she'd have nothing. He had caught the glimpses in her thoughts, of what she thought about doing to herself after Kojin was gone.

He sighed, he couldn't put this off any longer. She'd let go of her anger and accept her fate long before she could train through the Super Saiyan 2 barrier he had hoped she would breech. Once she accepted her fate and made her decision, not only would their universe lose the chance of being free of Kojin, Pan would lose her second chance at life.

Her training here was over. It was time.

* * *

Bata stood out in the fields a bit from the Kojin's Monastery. She had long since abandoned her childhood home to train under Earth's secret Guardian and help him collect the dragonballs.

She smirked and hefted the last one, slowly placing them it down to complete the circle if seven balls. 'Help collect the dragonballs', she had done it all herself. The Guardian had merely given her directions and the general area to find them in, he had left her the challenge of getting them all herself.

She glanced over at the Guardian, watching him watch her. She knew his plan, use the first wish to bring Pan back to life. The second would be to bring Pan back to the planet. And to him, the third wish would be to bring Kojin to them, and hopefully with the element of surprise, defeat him.

She smiled to herself. That's what he thought the third wish was going to be, but she had other ideas. She had long since been told the truth about Pan, passed along from their contact in the otherworld, the Turtle Hermit. Unlike him, she wasn't so selfish as to force Pan to risk her life taking care of their dimension's problems. No, she had a different wish to make.

She waited, and waiting, her eyes locked on the guardian's until finally, the old Namekian nodded. It was time...

* * *

Pan watched Zeroes wake up and slowly walk over to sit down next to her. "Jezz girl, you hit really hard."

Pan half-smiled, but said nothing in response. She didn't really feel like poking fun of him like she used to, there wasn't really a point to it.

She caught movement out of the corner of her eye and saw the old Turtle Hermit approach. He looked down at her, giving her an unusually warm smile, even from him. He made a motion, biding her to rise. She gave a sigh and did as he wanted. She was a little surprised and confused when he hugged her all of the sudden, and fiercely too. What in the world had gotten into him?

"Its time, isn't it?" asked Zeroes.

Pan grew even more perplexed when the old man nodded and broke away from Pan.

"Well, I can't say I'm going to miss getting my butt kicked all the time, but, see ya girl," said Zeroes awkwardly.

Pan frowned. "What? Are you choosing two choosing to go up and go to heaven or something?"

"Pan...," began the Turtle Hermit.

She was starting to grow annoyed. "What is with you two all the sudden?"

"Good luck, and may you find your way back home" said the Turtle Hermit.

Pan blinked a few times. "Huh?"

"Oh, and give Kojin a good hit for me too," said Zeroes.

Pan felt lost. "What the hell are you..."

She felt dizzy all the sudden, her body starting to feel weird. What in the world...

"Look up Pan," said Cheikame.

Pan gave him a confused look before she did as instructed...

Her stared at the empty space above her head, not comprehending for a moment. "Where is... my halo?"

She looked back down at them in disbelief. "What's going on?!"

The Turtle Hermit merely raised his hand to wave goodbye to her before she suddenly vanished in a flash of light.

* * *

Goku gave a sudden whirl when Videl screamed behind him. "PAN!"

The entire group watched the suddenly white faced woman stagger and hold onto her husband for support. "I... I can feel..."

Gohan frowned. "Videl, what is it? What about Pan?"

"I can feel her, She's alive," whispered Videl.

The entire group stood there, stunned for a moment. Suddenly, Videl's eyes went wide and a look of fear crossed her face.

"I felt the way, and... I felt what's coming for her. Oh kami no, Pan... PAN! I'm coming!" Videl screamed in terror and suddenly flew into the air, weaving towards the east hallway of the current room where they were in.

Without a word, and with a sense of urgency not felt in months, the group took off after her...

* * *

Pan gave a start suddenly finding herself standing on an open field. She gave a start as the first thing that filled her vision was a humongous giant multi-arm dragon that sort of looked like a cross between Porunga and Shenron. She stared at it in disbelief for a moment before she lowered her gaze slowly, sighting the set of dragonballs it had risen from. But... standing infront of them...

"B-bata...," Pan whispered in shock.

"Paaaaaaaan! the girl screamed in a sob of relief as she rushed towards her and closed the distance.

The girl threw herself at Pan and hugged her firefly. "Oh Pan, y-you don't know how long I've waited to bring you back!"

Pan stared at her, dumbstruck. She felt numb, purely numb. Slowly, she fell to her knees, breaking through Bata's grip.

"Pan? Pan! Are you okay?" asked Bata, a little confused.

"I'm... I'm alive," Pan whispered in disbelief.

Pan began to shake with emotion she hadn't felt in a long time. She gave a sob, and wrapped her arms around Bata's legs, crying into one of them. Slowly, Bata joined her on the group, giving her a hug.

"Did... they not tell you that we were going to bring you back or something?" asked Bata.

"NO!" replied Pan hoarsely, unable to keep herself in check, "Those... those bastards... I swear if i wasn't alive... I-I-I'd kill them..."

" **I HAVE GRANTED TWO OF YOUR THREE WISHES! SPEAK NOW YOUR FINAL WISH!** " thundered the Eternal Dragon floating above them.

"Bata," called out an old tired voice, "It's time, use the final wish to bring Kojin to us."

That voice jolted Pan out of her emotional stupor. She glanced over to see an old Namekian standing a distance away.

Bata rose to her face, turned to face the Namekian, smiled, and said, "No."

The Namekian gave a start. "No?!"

"Yeah! I said no you selfish old bastards!" Bata yelled, "And that goes for you too Mr. Turtle Hermit in the sky! I know your watching."

Bata continued with fury, "Your both assholes! Bringing Pan back to life just to try and have her risk it again! Kojin is OUR mess to deal with! Pan doesn't need to fight him, she needs to go home!"

Pan stared at her, stunned, breathless.

Bata gave her a smile. "I know about the whole dimension thing, the Turtle Hermit was peeping in your head. Pan, leave Kojin to us, we will save our world from him, I'm going to use the last wish to send you home."

Pan's jaw dropped, she should have been outraged at Cheikame, but, what Bata had just said...

"B-bata...," Pan's voice choked.

She couldn't... she couldn't handle it, tears streamed down her face. "B-bata..."

The girl smiled back at her. "Were friends right? I gotta look out for you since I did a piss poor job the first time. I'll miss you Pan."

The girl turned and looked up at the Eternal Dragon. "Dragon! My final wish is for you to send Pan..."

Time slowed for Pan as she saw twin streams of energy surge past her. They flew at remarkable speed. One blew through the heart of the old Namekian, dropping him down to the group without a sound. The second, a thin, tiny beam, blew through the back of Batas head. Pan's eyes went wide, her mouth dried, her chest constricting at the sight of the girl wobble on her feet before she fell to her knees and pitched forward, dead. The Eternal Dragon gave a roar as it faded and died, the dragonballs turning to stone.

Nothing in Pan's life had prepared her for the torrent of emotions she had felt when she was revived. And nothing in her life prepared her for the death of a little girl who had given her such hope after months of nothing but rage and depression. The dragon was dead, and with it, there was no way to bring her friend, her best friend in all dimensions in her mind, back to life.

"The only place your going girl, is back to the grave I put you in," came Kojin's cold, cruel voice.

Pan heard him, but didn't care. She rose to her feet, put one shaky step infront of the other, until she stood over Bata. She sank to her knees and rolled the girl onto her back. She stared at the hole in her forehead leaking blood, and into her lifeless eyes.

Pan shook, she shook like she never had before, she rose to her feet, threw back her head, and let loose the most primal, heart wrenching, agonizing scream of her life, "BAAAATAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!"

The entire planet began to shake as her power erupted around her. Shock-waves erupted from her body, causing earthquakes for miles. Her hair spiked up even more than it was. Her muscles mass increased. Her entire body looked like it grew a few inches taller. Lightning began to surge around her body, blue and viscous. With one final scream, her aura exploded in size and intensity before shrinking down to fit around her body. The only thing he power had not destroyed in the area around her, was the body at her feet, as if it were compelled not to touch Bata.

Pan turned, she turned her head and glared death at Kojin, who stood on a hill overlooking the field, shock and surprise written on his face. But rather than throw herself at him, she turned her head back and knelt down, picking up Bata's corpse, cradling it in her arms. She rose to her feet, looking around before choosing a spot.

Her eyes flashed, and the ground exploded, leaving a hole a few feet deep a big bigger than Bata's body. Gently, she set the body in the makeshift grave. Slowly, she began to cover the girl with dirt. First her feet, then her legs, and started on her torso before pausing. She looked up, sighting the corpse of the old Namekian. It would only be right to bury him as well...

A blast of energy surged past and engulfed the Namekian's corpse. "If your done playing with the dead, little girl, how about we get started?"

Pan stopped burying her best friend, stood up, and turned to face Kojin. "..."

Kojin looked down at her from his crest on the hill. "What's the matter? You seem quiet? For someone brought back from the dead, I thought you'd be happier. Oh wait, that's right, you have a thing for the weak and helpless. Tch."

Pan spoke evenly, there was no shakiness to her voice, just cold, deadly malice. "I am going to kill you."

Kojin smirked. "Your a clever one, coming back from the dead with another transformation up your sleeve. Truthfully, I'm impressed with it. In fact, I'd dare say I wouldn't stand a chance against it..."

He grinned savagely. "If I didn't have a transformation of my own."

Without warning, his muscles bulged. His cloak ripped, his skin turned from teal to a sickly green color. His hair turned from fiery orange to red. His power skyrocketed as he gave a roar of power, his aura jumping in size.

Pan stared at him, wordless for a moment, she took one measure of his power, and then of her own. Damn near even, with him having the edge. She ought to be pissed, not once since she had been ripped from Earth had she ever in her mind gotten cut a break from this hell. But... that was fine... at this point, she didn't care anymore...

She grinned at him, her blood boiling, her anger raging, nothing but hatred fueling her body, there was not one ounce of mercy in her eyes. "That still won't save you from me."

Kojin cracked his knuckles. "We'll see about that wont we?"

The two exploded at eachother, exchanging a flurry of blows that tore apart the nearby landscape, and leveled Kojin's Monastery with nothing but shock-waves. Pan drove a knee into Kojin's face, flipped herself over his counter attack, and smashed a leg into the back of his head, sending him face first into the ground.

She floated there, she had stopped to wait for only one reason. Her arms were _already_ sore just from blocking him. He wasn't quick at all compared to her, but DAMN, he had a lot of stopping power in his blows. Any direct hit from him would be enough to drop her power, blow by blow. With that thought she couldn't help but note how different transforming into Super Saiyan 2 felt compared to Super Saiyan.

There was no hot rage, she felt only cold fury in her chest, she felt surprisingly clear minded at the moment. Clear minded and focused to the point it sent chills down her spine. She had one goal in her life right now, and it was to kill Kojin. Screw anything else, screw her fury with the Turtle Hermit and Zeroes for lying to her, screw her Grandpa's morals, screw going home. Kojin HAD to die.

Kojin flew at her and threw a heavy right hook. Pan flew to the side, her palm slapping his arm and pushing it away as she spun and slammed a backhand fist into his face. Kojin whirled through the air before stopping, turning, and aiming his hands at her, unleashing huge bursts of energy. Pan threw her hands into the sky and unleashed a burst of energy, rocketing her down and out of the way in time.

She immediately surged at him, slowing down briefly as she neared to watch his movements. He swung a fist at her, and she pulled back, slapping the fist away and holding out a palm to blast his face. Immediately she surged in, slammed a few fists into his chest, then surged out as he tried to bring a knee up to hit her. The man rubbed his face a bit before pulling his hand away and grinning at her.

"Your a fast little wench aren't you?" he mocked.

Pan didn't reply, merely staring at him and waiting.

Kojin smirked and threw his head back, laughing. "But, you don't hit very hard."

 _WHAM!_

Pan drove a fist deep into his gut, funneling all her power into the blow. Kojin folded under the blow, spitting up blood. Pan grinned up at him, only to go wide eyed as he matched her grin and grabbed her sides. The pain she saw on him was real, but he had obviously been willing to take it to get a grip on her, shit, she'd been baited

With a roar, Kojin flew to the ground and slammed her into it. The impact devastated the landscape, sent pain rocketing through Pan's body, and knocked the wind out of her. Kojin curled a fist and slammed it into her face, bruising and blackening her cheek, breaking her cheek bone, and pushing her body into the ground. He raised his fist high into the air, and began to bring it down once more.

Pan sucked in a quick breath. "Kamehameha!"

The energy wave burst from her feet, rapidly sliding her along the ground and out of the way. Unfortunately for Kojin, his fist slammed down right into the energy, searing his hand and causing it to explode in his face. Pan let go of the energy wave and pushed off the ground, putting distance between her and Kojin.

She massaged her face as the man blew away the explosion's dust cloud with a wave of his hand and glared up at her. Dammit, her back was aching, and her face was throbbing. Two measly hits and her body was already yelling at her. Facing this guy wasn't like fighting Saiyans, he didn't fight for sport, or for thrills, he fought to kill. Every blow was meant to leave lasting damage... but...

Pan did a quick check with her senses, gauging his power before deciding to test something. She dove at him, and he thrust a heavy blow at her. She dodged under it, but rather than attack, she flew back. She had confirmed it, he was putting huge power into every hit. Each action he took was borderline lethal towards her, but, each action also dipped his power slightly.

She couldn't favor power over speed here. Which meant, no Judgement, no Super Kamehameha, no charged ki blasts or heavy blows. As much as she wanted to just overpower and murder that son of a bitch, she'd have to whittle away at him.

Pan began to pepper him with rapid, small ki blasts as she flew away. Kojin barreled through them, rushing at her. Pan dodged a right hook, dodged a left one, and dove in, smashing a fist into his face before flying up and through his arms before he could wrap them around her and pin her.

"Stay still you little bitch!" he swore, flying up after her.

She sneered down at him and picked up speed before suddenly about facing and dive bombing him with her feet. Her feet planted right into his face and kicked him all the way to the ground, leaving a huge crater and cracks through the land in all directions.

She licked her lips at a sight of on his face. "Oh, I love that look on you Kojin. PAIN!"

"Masenko-ha!" she yelled, launching a burst of ki at him as he rose to his feet and launched himself towards her. It hit him and exploded, but, he burst through the explosion, hardly fazed, and threw a heavy fist at her. Pan dodged to the side and kicked him, launching him back a little.

Kojin turned to face her, rage on his face. "You little..."

"Little what? What name shall you call me this time? It's your only half-way effective attack since your to slow to hit me," taunted Pan.

Kojin glared at her but froze when she pointed a finger at him. "Hey Kojin, I wana show you a move I picked up from a ' _friend_ ' of mind up in Otherworld. He doesn't like to use it, said in life it had been a last resort technique to quickly end a fight that's grown to dangerous, but me? I think I love it. DEATH BEAM!"

She released a thin, deadly purple beam straight at his heart, but, to her surprise, Kojin reacted instantly and slapped it away with ease, he seemed amused. "Seen it before, blew a hole through my shoulder the first time I took it. I take it you know that multi-form lizard then."

Pan smirked. "Yeah, I do. I'm surprised you remember him."

Kojin snarled. "Anyone strong enough to wound me I remember and learn from. In fact, now that you remind me, I also learned a trick of last resort from him. Tell me, did he tell you about our fight?"

Pan frowned, growing wary. "Not really, not that I care that much."

Kojin smirked. "That lizard prided himself on being a so called hero. Tell me, do you know what he did when it became apparent he couldn't win against me?"

Pan narrowed her eyes, there was something familiar about this. Something about her Grandpa and his fight against Freeza.

"That so called hero blew up the planet, he was willing to sacrifice the populous 'for the greater good' to try to suffocate me in space," said Kojin with a laugh.

Pan's eyes went wide. Oh shit... she knew what he was planning...

"Unfortunately for him, I could breath in space as well and killed him afterwards," said Kojin, a wicked smile growing on his face.

Kojin started to float into the air. "You are right, I'm to slow to hit you. I've only landed two hits on you this entire fight, and only because you let yourself be goaded. I'll give you enough credit to doubt you'll make that mistake again. I won't hit you unless your forced to take a hit. I'm on to what your doing, sapping me slowly but surely, and I'm not going to play your little game. I do not need this planet Pan, but you do."

Pan threw herself at him immediately, big hits be damned she couldn't let him get a chance to blow the planet up. She smashed a fist into his face, sending him flying back and rushed at him again. She had to stay close and tight to him, any free moment on his part with his level of power would be instant destruction of the world.

Kojin right himself and released an sweeping energy wave at her, trying to blow her back. Pan surged under it and came up, smashing a first into his chin and sending him staggering backwards. He recovered, and flew away at top speed. Pan followed, keeping below him to be ready to intercept any blasts. He circled around, glaring back at her before changing course, going up instead of away.

"Enough!" he roared and threw his hands to his side.

Energy gathered in them, shock-waves erupting from his body and forcing Pan down. "Dodge if you wish, but if you do, you lose the planet!"

Pan gave a cry as energy rippled out from him, further knocking her down towards the ground. Damn him, she didn't give two shits about this world, she just needed its air. The hell was she going to do to kill him without it? She'd last maybe a minute in space before she lost her air. Dammit, she NEEDED THIS, she needed to kill him! So long as she could rip his throat out nothing else mattered, not even a chance to bring Bata back if there were one!

 _"Pan, leave Kojin to us, we will save our world from him, I'm going to use the last wish to send you home."_

Pan froze, the shock of what she had just thought, along with Bata's voice echoed in her mind. Pan felt shame, she felt more shame in her life than ever before. She looked around, sighting the obliterated and devastated landscape as a result of their fight. The monastery, full of innocent people, was destroyed, who knew if there were any survivors. The shock-waves and earthquakes from their fight had probably killed countless people. Bata had wanted to save her world from Kojin, and here Pan was, obliterating it, and not even caring... Pan couldn't help but wonder what had happened to herself...

Pan descended to the ground to the ground. "I'm sorry Bata... I'll make it up to you, I swear it, right here and now, no matter what it takes."

She looked up at Kojin, at the huge energy gathered in his hands. "Super..."

Pan cupped her hands to her side. "Kaaaa..."

The ground rippled...

"Meee...," Pan continued.

Blue light shined from the orb of energy glowing in her hand's, painting the landscape blue.

"Haaa...," Pan continued.

Blue energy overtook her yellow aura, covering her in the glory of the Kamehameha wave.

"Meee...," Pan countinued, her feet diging into the ground, and her body bracing itself.

Kojin roared at the top of his lungs and unleashed a giant energy wave towards her. "DIE!"

"HAAAAAA!" Pan screamed, unleashing her Super Kamehameha Wave up to meet his energy head on.

The beam's connected and immediately Pan cringed at the force working its way back through the beam to her. There was no explosion, the beams held, and began to push against one another. This was it...

* * *

Goku followed Videl through a portal, and immediately felt two huge powers off on the other side of the planet. He winced, bracing and putting himself infront of Videl to protect her from shock-waves reaching them even at this distance.

"Do you feel that?" whispered Gohan in awe.

Vegeta staggered a bit as the world began to shake. "Yes boy, I feel it under my damn boots, were not ki deaf!"

"I don't recognize one, but the other... is that Pan?" whispered Shin in disbelief.

Goku nodded. "Yeah, her ki feels a bit weird for some reason, but its definitely her. That power though, is she..."

"Second level? Hmph, apparently so," said Vegeta with agitation, "My own damn son can't get his act together to get level two but a nine year old girl does? Pitiful."

"STOP STANDING AROUND!" screamed Videl, "Pan's fighting for her life and all you guys can do is stand there talking?!"

Goku instantly focused, narrowing his eyes, his face going serious, and moved his fingers to his forehead before wincing as continuous shock-waves began to bombard them. "Damn, I can't focus it. We gotta fly guys!"

* * *

Pan groaned under the intense pressure of trying to match Kojin's energy wave. Never before had she had a fight like this. She had seen her Grandpa and Vegeta do beam struggles before, she thought they were cool at the time.

Screw that.

They were utterly terrifying.

There was nothing more frightening than to stare down her enemy's oncoming attack, knowing that if she failed, everyone on the world died. Even worse was that shit eating grin on Kojin's face. Oh man it pissed her off. That asshole was getting a kick out of this.

Every ounce of her power was pouring through her hands into her energy wave, and she still wasn't budging it. In fact... SHIT! He was pushing hers back! Slowly but surely, her energy wave was being pushed back. Bolts of energy rippled down her beam, shocking her badly and tearing into her body.

"GAH!" she screamed, falling to a knee and temporarily losing focus.

Immediately his beam started pushing harder and fast.

Pan rose to her feet. "HAAAAAAAA!"

She put on a burst of energy, throwing wide open her reserves, and momentarily pushed Kojin's beam back. Son of a bitch that hurt! She twisted the focus of her beam to counter the backlash from the struggle. She looked herself over for a moment, blood and burns were everywhere. Damn, she had no experience with this, that had caught her by surprise. What the hell was she supposed to do? Burst everything she had at once? Try to out-sustain him? She wished for a moment Vegeta had been her Grandpa, he would have hammered every single potential detail of combat into her head for what to do in this situation.

"What's the mater kid? Can't keep it up?" called down Kojin.

Pan ground her teeth but ignored him. She couldn't afford to lose focus.

"Well, if your already tiring, how about I go full force and end it?" he called down.

Pan's eyes went wide, no way, he was bluffing...

"RRRRRAAAAAAAAAA," screamed Kojin.

Pan's eyes went wide as she felt his power increase, not a lot, but at least by fifteen percent. Son of a bitch! He had been holding out on her, keeping something in reserve just in-case. It wouldn't have been enough to counter her speed if she pushed herself to match him, but shit, here and now... no no no no no!

His beam started to inch its way down until it was mere feet from her hands. She ground her teeth, dammit! Not like this! She couldn't fail now, she couldn't let Bata down, let this world down, and let her family down by dying here. What the hell could she do though? She had no ace up her sleeve, Super Saiyan 2 was it. The regular form was useless, and the Kaio-Ken couldn't compete...

Wait...

Her eyes went wide. The Kaio-Ken!

She did a quick check of her body, she was hurting a bit from Kojin's blows and that energy backlash, but it was relatively okay. Her power was draining, but a boost should be all she needed! She grinned up at Kojin, Super Saiyan 2 and the Kaio-Ken would be all that she needed! Super Saiyan 2 and the Kaio-Ken...

A warning bell went of in her head. A brief concern pushing to the forefront of her mind. Was it safe to use them together? She had only ever seen Grandpa use the Kaio-Ken with his base, or when he was in Super Saiyan Blue with his god ki.

She pushed the thought aside, safe or not, it was her only chance. "HAAAAAAAAAA!"

The blue kamehameha aura surrounding her turned red. "KAIO-KEN!"

Immediately her power exploded and she rapidly shoved his beam back to the half way point and started to drive it back fur...

"AHHHHH," Pan screamed in agony.

It felt like her insides were liquidating! Agony spread everywhere through her body. This pain... oh kami... the pain...

Her power drained, her Super Kamehameha faded and died, and Kojin's beam rushed towards her.

NO!

She gave a scream of rage and reached as deep inside of herself for whatever power she had left to stop his beam mere feet from her, holding out her bare hands to stop it. Wounds had appeared all over her body as her unstable energy ripped open her flesh. Her heart was beating sporadically, she could literally feel her organs slowly melting. If pain was bliss, she was in heaven right now.

She could have laughed. She was going to die, winning the beam struggle or not, she had just killed herself again. There was nothing left to lose. Whatever it took, she'd stop him, whatever it took...

* * *

Goku, Gohan, Videl, Shin, and Vegeta set down on a deformed hill overlooking a life or death battle of the likes they hadn't seen in years.

"Oh Pan," whispered Videl, sighting her bloody daughter at a distance, literally grappling against a devastating world ending amount of energy.

Goku narrowed his eyes, sighting a red, yellowy aura around Pan. "What is she doing...? Is that..."

Vegeta glared at him. "Idiot! Not now, let's move!"

"WHATEVER IT TAKES KOJIN!" Pan screamed at the top of her lungs, giving them pause.

"I'LL DO WHATEVER IT TAKES TO STOP YOU FROM DESTROYING THE WORLD, EVEN IF IT KILLS ME TO DO SO!" Pan roared.

Goku froze, feeling a swelling of pride in his chest on a level he hadn't felt since Gohan had fought Cell. And in a the span of a single moment, that pride turned to horror.

"KAIO-KEN TIMES FIFTY!" Pan screamed.

The entire landscape turned red in the wake of Pan's blazing aura she suddenly burst from the ground and flew through her opponent's energy beam. The beam disintegrated in her wake as she flew at near instantaneous speed. In one swing motion, she spun as she closed the distance, swinging a leg that cut her opponent in half. She gave one final scream and let loose her power, annihilating Kojin's body in a burst of energy.

Pan floated their for a moment before her auras faded and she began to plummet. Goku's face paled at the insane drop in ki he felt. That ki wasn't going to stabilize, it was going to crash, and Pan was going to die. Gohan burst from the ground and caught his daughter in his arms, descending to the ground.

The group rushed over to meet him, and Goku couldn't help but gag at the sight and smell of his Granddaughter. She was literally cooking alive. Third degree burns and black scorch marks were everywhere. Blood was oozing out of wounds and melting onto her skin and clothes.

"Dad! Senzu!" screamed Gohan in terror.

Goku fished through the bag and tossed it to him. "Last one."

"What do you mean last one!?" roared Vegeta, "How many of those damn things did you hand out?"

Gohan shoved it through Pan's partially melted lips with a finger before pausing. "Her throat... its seared close!"

Shin knelt down next to Pan and put a hand over her throat and the other over her stomach, a soft healing light spreading, he immediately winced, sweat pouring down his face. "Gah, the energy burn, I can't sustain against this kind of damage for long."

Gohan tilted Pan's head up and pushed the bean as far down he throat as he could, using a little ki to nudge it the rest of the way there. There was nothing for a moment before slowly, the worst of her burns and wounds began to slowly fade.

Shin stopped healing and fell to his side, clutching his chest. "Can't... do... anymore..."

Immediately the healing rate slowed, much to Goku's shock. A few seconds later, it stopped completely. He was fearful for a moment, before he noticed that Pan's ki, while weak, had stopped falling. Wounds and burns had also stopped appearing and spreading. She was in an awful condition, but she wasn't dying anymore.

"Whew," said Goku, "That was close, aint ever seen a bean fail to finish a healin though."

"IDIOT!" shouted Vegeta, "One, she's not safe yet! Two, it didn't work against your heart virus. Three, no idiot's ever done your Kaio-Ken while as a Super Saiyan 2 before! Damn that girl, she's definitely your granddaughter, pulling a stunt like that."

Goku held up a defensive hand. "Easy Vegeta, she'll make it. Just give Supreme Kai a chance to rest and he'll fix her up good."

Shin nodded weakly. "Y-yes... just... give me five... minutes."

Goku nodded. "Sure."

"Oh Pan," whispered Videl as she sat down next to Gohan.

Goku winced, seeing the devastated look on her and Gohan's faces. Seeing their daughter in such a state was doing an awful thing to them. Even though they had found her, she was still in danger, there couldn't be any celebrating until she was fully recovered.

"B...a...t...a," whispered Pan, almost deliriously.

"Pan? Pan!" exclaimed Videl, "Oh thank heavens."

"Shes out of it woman, she doesn't know were here, don't gush all over her yet," warned Vegeta.

"I'm... sorry... Bata...," whispered Pan, her eyes half open, a hazy look in them.

"Whose Bata?" asked Goku.

He turned his head, scanning the area before he froze. "Oh no..."

He flew off, the group slowly following him, moving Pan carefully. Goku looked sadly at a young little girl, half-buried, dead in a freshly made grave, with a hole in her head. Goku closed his eyes and looked away.

"Pan's power was raw," stated Vegeta, "If I had to guess, she just turned Super Saiyan 2. I assume this was her reason."

Goku knelt down, and slowly finished burying the girl in silence. He sighed heavily, feeling awful for Pan and her friend. He grew furious with himself, once again wishing he had never made the wish for open dimensions and putting Pan through this.

He frowned, looking ahead and sighting a peculiar stone. "Wait a second... is that a petrified dragonball?"

Gohan nodded. "Yeah, I remember seeing that on Namek when Guru died, but..."

An awful, crushed look crossed his face. "I get it now. Pan really, truly was dead, that girl, Bata, brought her back to life and was killed for it. That Kojin bastard... he's probably the one who killed Pan to begin with."

Videl bowed her head. "I... I wish i could have thanked the girl... for bringing my daughter back..."

 _"Tee hee, no problem miss!"_ a voice spoke into their heads.

They all nearly jumped at that.

Goku glanced around before looking up into the sky. "Otherworld with a Kai?"

 _"Yeah, kinda sucks being dead, but, at least Kojin's dead and Pan's alive,"_ said Bata, _"So your Pan's family from another dimension?"_

Shin gave a start. "Well... Vegeta and I are not, but... how did you figure out we were from another dimension?"

 _"Because THIS asshole,"_ said the voice before a loud WHACK sound followed by a old man yelping, _"Peered into Pan's memories without permission!"_

Goku crossed his arms and raised an eyebrow with disapproval. "Well that's rude to intrude in someones head like that."

 _"Sorry,"_ mumbled an old man's voice.

 _"Anyway, Mr. Grand Kai whose too holyier than thou to speak says you ought to get her back to your dimension to get her help and not wait around for your kai to slowly heal her up. It would be less risky, and hurt her a lot less to get it over and done with,"_ said Bata.

Shin scowled. "Well... Dende or more senzu beans would greatly speed up the process."

 _"Before you guys go though, umm,"_ began Bata sheepishly.

"What is it?" asked Gohan.

 _"Could you say goodbye to her for me? When she wakes up?"_ asked Bata.

Goku nodded. "Yeah, we will, and thank you for bringing Pan back."

 _"I'm glad I could, but honestly, she's the one who inspired me to take action to begin with,"_ said Bata, _"Tell her not to worry about me, and that I'll get the old coot and the lizard man back for her!"_

 _"Lizard man?!"_ came a voice that sounded an awful lot like Freeza.

 _"Tee hee, bye!"_ said Bata.

"Goodbye," they echoed after her.

Goku sighed. "Alright guys, one more journey, this time home. You all ready?"

They all nodded, but before they could move, Pan gave a fearful gasp, her body trembling. Gohan's grip tightened worriedly around his daughter. Pan began to shiver, her lips quivering. Her eyes half opened again, a faint distant look in them.

"Pan, its okay," whispered Gohan, "Were here for you."

"D-daddy..." she whispered faintly, "I... I..."

"She still doesn't look very aware, does she?" said Goku.

"I don't wana die...," she whispered, pain in her voice.

"Your not gonna die Pan, okay?" hushed Gohan.

"I don't... want to...," said Pan, her body shivering, a green glow surrounding her.

"What is...," Shin began.

With a final, terrified sob, Pan, and Gohan along with her, vanished in a flash of green light.

* * *

 _Author's notes:_

 _(1) This chapter hurt me to write a little bit. Sometimes, I really feel like I'm a god awful scumbag with the shit I put Pan through, and to be honest, I still have so much more in store for her.  
_

 _(2) If you want a reason for Kojin being able to match Pan:_

 _A) Kojin is not Bojack, he's not some space pirate who was trapped in King Kai's planet. He's been on the loose, training and fighting. He is FAR more powerful than Bojack, he's not stupid, and he doesn't screw around with his opponents unlike most major villains.  
_

 _B) Pan was a first time, untrained Super Saiyan 2._

 _(3) Yeah, I'm a dick. The dimension hopping not quite over for Pan yet, BUT, she has her father with her._

 _(4) Longest chapter of the story thus far._


	22. Homeward Bound

**_Potara - Chapter 22: Homeward Bound_**

* * *

Gohan gave a started cry as he appeared midair over a jungle with Pan in his arms. He tumbled a bit, shocked and surprised, before righting himself and looking around. Where in the world...

He closed his eyes, throwing his ki sense wide. Videl, Vegta, Shin, Dad, they weren't here. To be honest, something was weird about this planet. There was plant life here, but, he couldn't detect a single person's ki signature. Strange, but, not his concern for the moment. Shin had been right, Pan could somehow teleport to other dimensions.

Gohan slowly and carefully descended through the treetops until he touched down on the ground. He glanced down at Pan who had fallen unconscious in his arms. Gently, he set her down on the most even ground and sat down next to her, leaning against a tree. He kept a careful eye on her, if anything green so much as appeared around her he'd latch on. He was NOT going to lose his daughter again.

He sighed. "Pan... when you wake up you and I are going to have a long talk about pulling crazy stunts like that. Kaio-Ken and Super Saiyan 2... I... could have lost you again..."

He glanced at her, a sad smile on his face, before he gently ran a hand through her hair. He wiped a tear away from his eye and crossed his arms, staring off into the distance, waiting for his daughter to awaken...

* * *

Goku, Videl, Vegeta, and Shin stood in a circle at the center of a portal room, mulling over their options.

"We should start searching for them right away!" said Videl.

Vegeta shook his head. "No, Gohan knows about the portals, all he has to do is find the one on whatever world he ended up in."

Shin nodded. "I concur, it would be best if we simply waited for them to return. If we kept on venturing through the worlds, we might miss them."

Goku frowned. "Not to mention, we have no idea where they will come out from. There are endless portal rooms. We need to stay out here and keep our senses open, or, at least I do."

Vegeta glared at him. "Excuse me Kakarot?"

Goku smiled softly. "We'll, you can wait too. We'll stand by our home dimension portal. Once I sense Gohan, I'll Instant Transmission, grab them, and teleport back to you. Videl, Shin, you two should go home."

Videl shook her head. "No! I'm not going back without my husband and daughter!"

Goku walked over and put a hand on her shoulder. "Videl, Pan's still hurt. I need you to go back, get Dende, and check with Korin for more Sensu beans, and bring em to the portal. Okay? It's got to be you, because I think Shin will need to go report to the Omni-Kings when he gets back."

Shin nodded. "Agreed, lets go."

* * *

"A... ah...," came a soft whimper next to Gohan.

He blinked and glanced down, seeing his daughter wince before she slowly, and weakly, opened her eyes. "Oww..."

It was a dumb question, he knew, but, "You okay Pan?"

Pan scowled weakly. "Sure... never been better dad..."

Pan's face blanked for a moment. She slowly turned her head, looking up at Gohan in disbelief.

"D-dad...?!" she whispered.

He smiled. "Hey there pumpkin."

"Daddy..." she whispered again, "Daddy!"

She tried to set up, and moved her arms towards him before she collapsed back down, screaming in pain. "Gaaaaah!"

Gohan immediately moved and put his hands on her shoulders. "Pan! You can't move right now, your in really, really bad shape."

"You don't... need to tell me... twice...," grimaced Pan, "Son of... a bitch..."

Gohan blinked a few times and scowled. "Pan, where did you get a mouth like that?"

Pan averted her eyes. "Erm... from... a few friends of... mine..."

Gohan smiled softly, a chuckle escaping him. "I'll let it slide, just don't let your Grandma hear that king of language."

"Hee hee," whispered Pan weakly.

Gohan's voice began to shake. "I-I'm... so glad that we finally found you Pan. I'm going to give you a bit to rest, then, were going home."

Pan trembled, closing her eyes, tears flowing down her face, a blissful expression on her face. "H-home..."

Gohan slowly brought his hand down to thumb through locks of Pan's hair. "Pan... I'm... really proud of you."

She opened her eyes and looked up at him, redness entering her face. "..."

"We arrived at the end of your battle with that Kojin guy," he explained, "I heard what you said Pan. I've never been more proud of you in my life than that moment."

Rather than look happy, to his surprise, she looked away with remorse on her face. "I couldn't... I couldn't save Bata... she brought me... me..."

Pan began to cough hoarsely. Gohan hesitated for a moment before he placed an arm on her shoulder. He didn't know if her body was ready yet, but, he poured energy into his daughter, trying to replace some of her lost strength. He pulled away a moment later.

Pan sniffled. "She brought me back to life dad, I... I just stood there, stood there while Kojin murdered her."

Gohan shook his head. "It's not your fault Pan."

"It is though, its all because of me...," she cried, "Bata never would have died if I hadn't come along."

"Pan... she doesn't hold it against you. She was happy that Kojin was dead, and that you were alive, she told us she wanted us to say goodbye to you for her," said Gohan.

Pan gave him a confused look. "T-told you?"

"She talked through the Grand Kai of that world," explained Gohan, "She also said she'd get an old man and a lizard man back for you."

A mischievous look briefly crossed Pan's face. "Bata... not such a goody two shoes anymore are you? Hee hee."

Gohan ran a hand through his daughter's hair again. "I'm sorry you had to go through that Pan, sorry you had to see your friend die, sorry you had to kill that man..."

Anger flashed across Pan's face. "Sorry? Kojin was scum! He deserved to die!"

Gohan's blood ran cold for a moment as he locked eyes with Pan. There... there was a coldness, a hardness he had never been prepared to see, nor ever wanted to see, in them. Wait... where was it? Where was that happy, playful, innocent look he had always seen in his daughters eyes? Where had it gone?

Gohan shivered, detecting a dark edge to her ki, but was unable to bring himself to ask the question he wanted to know so badly, but also feared: Pan, what had happened to you?

Instead, he merely cleared his throat. "Pan, you should never want to kill someone. Even I didn't want to kill Cell."

Pan looked away from him. "Hmph, I forgot how soft you all were."

Gohan went silent.

"Dad... our home is a lie," she said softly, "The dimensions... they're awful, awful places. You can't be weak, you can't show mercy to people like that, or everyone you care about will die. And even then, they still die..."

Gohan couldn't help himself, he put a hand under her back, helped her sit up, and embraced her in a fierce hug. "Don't say that Pan."

"Its true!" she sobbed, "I lost them all. Bata, Aideen, Aneurin, all the people of Haven..."

Gohan paused for a moment, a hopeful thought coming to the forefront of his mind. "Well, you almost lost Aideen."

Pan sharply pulled away from him and gave him a shocked look. "A-almost?"

Gohan smiled. "We came to Terra a few hours after you disappeared from it. Aneurin was badly hurt, but alive, and that crazy Odianna girl was using her energy to keep Aideen alive. So, I offered a Senzu and..."

He gave a startled yelp when Pan tackled him to the ground. "DADDY!"

She buried her face into his chest, crying uncontrollably. "Aideen's alive, Aideeeeeen's aliiiveeee!"

Gohan put his arms around her, rubbing her back gently. "Shhh Pan, shh..."

Minutes dragged by, with nothing but the sounds of Pan's relieved cries filling the air. Finally, Pan got ahold of herself and pulled away, wiping tears from her eyes.

"I... I have to go back to Terra!" said Pan, "I have to help them!"

Gohan winced. "Pan... you can't go back."

Pan looked at him in disbelief. "Why?!"

He shook his head. "Aideen told us to tell you not to worry about her, but, that you couldn't return or Odianna would kill you. She means it too, that crazy girl almost killed me."

Pan frowned. "Odianna..."

She clenched her fists. "I don't care if she'll kill me."

Gohan placed his hands on her shoulders. "I don't know if you need to worry about them anymore. Odianna kinda stole a bag of Senzu's from me and said she was going to grow them in the time chamber. Not to mention, she got Shin to remove the time limit on their Time Chamber after she... er..."

Pan stared at him and spoke with voice so calm it unnerved him. "After she did what dad?"

Gohan frowned. "After she took your mother hostage and threatened to kill her."

Pan nodded, and to Gohan's surprise, didn't seem particularly fazed. "So, they have infinite Senzu beans, and infinite time in the time chamber..."

To Gohan's shock, a wicked grin spread across Pan's face. "Yeah... they don't need me anymore. Odianna, she's going to kill every single damn Saiyan in that universe now. Good riddance."

Gohan stared quietly at his daughter. It hit him, then and there, that while he had some clues, he had absolutely no idea of the depths of what Pan had gone through, and how much she might have changed. She... she wasn't the same innocent little girl she had been before it all began. There was a pain in her eyes... it was a pain that shattered his heart.

A protective fear crossed his face. He needed to get her out of here, out of these places and back home where it was safe, where she could recover and heal alongside her friends and family. Nor more searching, no more waiting, it was time to go, now.

He picked Pan up, cradling her in his arms and started moving. "C'mon Pan, let's go home."

"Dad... put me down, I can walk now," said Pan.

"Humor your father," was his only reply.

He winced and came to a stop when she squeezed his arm hard, using his own gifted strength against him. "I am not some weak little girl anymore. Put. Me. Down."

"You've never been weak to me Pan," said Gohan.

She only stared up at him in silence, looking vexed. With a sigh, Gohan set her down. Pan wearily stood on her feet, her legs wobbly. One step at a time, she started forward without looking back. Gohan watched her walk in silence. He had never thought she was weak, but, she was right in a way. She might have been badly hurt, might have gone through awful things that left her extremely emotionally and mentally raw, but, she walked with an inner strength he wasn't used to seeing in her.

He closed his eyes. He had wished, prayed the moment she had been born, that she'd never have to experience a childhood like his own. That she could grow up happy and content, being whatever she wanted to be in the world. It hurt, it hurt to recognize he had been unable to protect her when it mattered most.

"How exactly do we get back home?" asked Pan, "And where is everyone else?"

Gohan opened his eyes and jogged to catch up. "Well, I was holding you after we gave you a senzu..."

"Oh, that's how I'm alive," murmured Pan, "Thought for sure I was gonna die."

Gohan scratched his head. "Well, you teleported us to another dimension. To get out without that ability of yours, we have to find a portal. It will be hidden, but, the moment we pass near it, it will try to drain our energy to power up and open."

"And it could be anywhere on the world?" asked Pan.

"Yeah," confirmed Gohan.

"Great," grumbled Pan.

"It's always ground level though, so that helps a bit," said Gohan.

Pan nodded, but said nothing in return. The walked in silence for an hour.

"Pan, it would be faster if we flew. I know you don't want to be carried, but your not really strong enough to fly at the moment," said Gohan.

Pan slowly came to a stop and sighed. "Fine, but, piggyback instead of being carried."

Gohan smirked, just like when she was a kid. He knelt down in front of her, she put her arms around his neck and latched on. With that, Gohan began to fly ground level, slowly picking up the pace and weaving through the jungle. He wasn't going to go top speed with Pan still weakened. It would probably take a few hours, at minimum, but, they'd find it. They had too...

* * *

"Kakarot," said Vegeta.

Goku glanced over at his rival who was leaning on the wall on the other side of their home dimension's portal. "Yeah?"

"You got off lucky," said Vegeta, "This could have taken decades to find her. Perhaps we may never have found her at all if it wasn't for the girl's mother."

Goku sighed and slid to the ground. "Yeah..."

"And just because we found her doesn't mean it excuses you," continued Vegeta, "Kakarot, that wish of yours was foolish, and I don't mean just because of what happened to your Granddaughter."

Goku was silent.

"You've opened a can of worms of the likes we've never seen before," said Vegeta, "What we've encountered thus far, what Pan's encountered this far, is only the beginning."

Vegeta sighed. "Were not that young anymore Kakarot. I've lost count of how many days we've spent inside the time chamber, or inside Whis's staff dimension. Counting our normal age along with that, I don't think we've got more than a decade or two until our age starts catching up with us."

Goku blinked a few times. "Huh?"

"Kakarot you idiot, what I'm saying is we're getting old!" barked Vegeta.

Vegeta rubbed the bridge of his nose. "Saiyans may stay in their prime for far longer than humans, but we pay for it when we start to age into our elder years. We gray fast and hard. We become frail former shadows of ourselves. When that happens, we wont be able to fight anymore, we wont be able to save our families out of the constant mess we all seem to get into."

Goku went silent, brooding over it.

"Kakarot, were not going to be able to help them when this all comes to a head. Its only just begun, our group is probably the only mortals who know how to cross dimensions, but it wont remain that way. In twenty years, I imagine there will be hundreds of dimensions, if not thousands, that have discovered how to cross over," said Vegeta, his voice heavy.

"What your saying is, you and I wont be able to do a damn thing if an enemy comes from another dimension," said Goku.

Vegeta nodded. "Correct. I wish I could say our children could rise to the occasion, but, I can't. My... little Bra trains somewhat, but its only to appease me, she doesn't want to fight. Trunks is starting to follow in his mother's footsteps, and lets not even talk about your two sons! Kakarot..."

Goku was shocked to see Vegeta look a little distraught. "If we weren't here right now, from what we just saw, the strongest, reliable warrior on our world would be your Granddaughter, your damn nine year old granddaughter! Buu is always sleeping, and Uub isn't anywhere near his prime, heck, we don't even know if he can become as strong as Kid Buu was. We cant rely on the other universes for immediate aid. I look at our bloodline's future..."

Vegeta shook his head, his tone bitter. "...and I just see it ending."

"Vegeta...," was all Goku could manage to say.

The two of them stayed there, brooding to themselves in a heavy silence...

* * *

"Bleh," said Pan, spitting out a few berries she had tried, but failed, to eat.

"I'd tell you not to be picky, but, I agree," said Gohan with distaste.

Pan's stomach rumbled loudly. "Of all the ways to die, I'd rather have Kojin break me in half and blow me up again than starve to death."

Gohan frowned intently, his temper rising, he was NOT pleased to learn how Pan had died. He knew she was making a joke, but, the way she so casual referred to it was also a little alarming. Then again, dad kind of did the same thing.

Gohan sighed. "Well, I can agree I guess, getting blown up by Kid Buu's death ball while unconscious is probably a better way to go as well.

They both exchanged glances and laughed a little before they resumed flying, with Pan still hanging on piggyback style. They weren't so much looking for the portal as they were edible food.

"Hmm," murmured Pan.

"What's up?" asked Gohan.

"I was wondering about this world we landed in. I don't feel anyone. I thought maybe it might have been purged like Terra was, but, there's plantlife everyone. Though, now that I think about it, I don't sense any animals either, it's weird," said Pan.

Gohan nodded, he was starting to have a bad feeling all the sudden. "Agreed..."

 _"Hungry, I'm hungry..."_

Gohan froze for a moment.

"Dad, I know your hungry to, but, don't project it into my head," murmured Pan.

"That wasn't me," murmured Gohan.

 _"Hungry hungry hungry, Cuu is hungry."_

Gohan stopped midair and began to pass his gaze over the area. For a brief moment, he thought he felt something..

"Dad, something is watching us," said Pan warily, "Its ki is..."

She frowned. "Damn, its gone."

 _"Hungry hungry hungry hungry!"_

"Join the club! I'm hungry too!" shouted Pan aloud.

Gohan winced. "I don't think you should encourage..."

His eyes went wide as he felt a surge of ki, of wicked evil, somewhat familiar, and extremely powerful ki.

"Dad... that things power...," Pan whispered.

"CUU IS HUNGRY!" a maniacal voice shouted.

Gohan whirled around to see...

Oh kami...

Floating out of the tree tops towards them was a blue Majin Buu. More specifically, a lean muscular version like the Super Buu Gohan could recall fighting. This was bad... even if Pan was also at full power, they didn't stand a chance against this thing.

"Mr. Buu?" Pan asked, confused.

"Buu? I Cuu, not Buu!" replied Cuu.

"Pan, you really know how to pick your dimensions to teleport too," murmured Gohan.

Pan raised a hand and bonked him on the head.

Cuu licked its lips. "Cuu is hungry..."

Well, that answered where every living person or animal on the planet was. Cuu had probably turned them into candy and ate them... wait... maybe they could talk their way out of this.

"Cuu, you like candy right? We have lots of candy back home if you'll...," Gohan began.

Cuu tilted his head. "Candy? What is candy?"

Gohan began to sweat. "Uh... er..."

"Cuu no want ' _candy_ '," it licked its lips again, "Cuu want _meat_."

Pan's eyes went wide with fear. "DAD! GET US OUT OF HERE!"

Gohan turned Super Saiyan and bolted. Cuu began to laugh and started flying leisurely after them.

"Pan, now would be a great time to teleport us to another dimension!" exclaimed Gohan.

"I don't know how I do it!" Pan yelled.

 _WHAM_

Cuu slammed a fist into Gohan's side, knocking him to the ground. Pan gave a yelp, flipping through the air, before hitting the ground as well, cringing in pain. Gohan groaned, rising to his feet, his Super Saiyan aura flickering on and off. One hit... one measly hit... this was even worse then his first encounter with the pink fat Buu.

Before Gohan could react, Cuu was after him. The blue blob monster latched onto him, expanded its mouth, revealing dagger like teeth, and bit down into Gohan's shoulder. Gohan screamed in agony, feeling the creature begin to rip and tear his through his tendons.

"GET OFF MY DADDY!" screamed Pan.

Gohan watched over Cuu's shoulder, stunned, as Pan, wounded and weak as she was, exploded in power. She ascended to Super Saiyan 2 and burst forth, slamming a fist into Cuu and launching him off of Gohan. Gohan staggered and fell away, rolling along the ground and coming to a stop.

He winced, struggling to rise to his feet before he felt something strange. It was like his power was being drained by...

His eyes went wide, turning to see the outlines of a portal begin to materialize. They had found it! He turned back to Pan, ready to shout for her to run to him, only to see Cuu shoot a beam of energy through her chest. The girl screamed, flew back, landing near Gohan's feet, her aura fading.

"PAN!" Gohan screamed in terror, scrambling over to her and picking her up.

"D-dad... I can't... feel my legs...," whispered Pan, her voice weakening.

Gohan looked down, the hole in her chest was dead center, Cuu had blown through her spine... how... how dare that thing!

Cuu licked its lips and raised a hand towards them. "Cuu like cooked meat more!"

For a moment, Gohan felt his anger and rage begin to skyrocket as Pan's ki began to fall. He could feel himself begin to ascend. He ground his teeth, and held it back, it wouldn't be enough. Even him going Super Saiyan 2 wouldn't work, he... was too weak... every single damn time... he was to weak because of being a damn scholar. There was only one thing that could save them now, and he hated himself for it.

"I know where's lots of meat!" shouted Gohan in desperation.

Cuu froze. "Lots... of... meat?!"

Gohan nodded, trying to keep his rage out of his voice, and pointed to the portal slowly forming behind him. "Through there."

Cuu stared at it before walking forward. "Cuu want meat! Cuu go see if meat, you two come too! If no meat, Cuu eat you!"

Cuu grabbed them, fed the portal energy, then threw them through.

Gohan flew off the ledge the portal he came through was on and fell to the ground, wincing and trying to cradle Pan.

Cuu walked through the portal and frowned. "Cuu no see meat. So, Cuu eat you two."

Gohan stopped holding back his power. He let it burst out, the imagine of the beam piercing Pan's chest fresh in his mind. His power exploded, ascending for the first time in a long time to Super Saiyan 2.

But he did not fight, instead, he focused all of his energy into powering up like a beacon, and screamed, to his great shame, one single word, a word he had always been forced to turn to in order to save himself and his friends, "DAD!"

* * *

Goku blinked, feeling a huge surge of ki. "Woah, been awhile since Gohan..."

"IDIOT!" roared Vegeta, "They're not alone and Pan's ki is dropping!"

Goku Instant Transmissioned as fast as he could without another word, reappearing in time to see a blue version of Super Buu rushing towards Gohan, who had a big bite wound on his shoulder and Pan...

He froze.

Pan... who had a hole in her chest...

Goku was there instantly, his hair spiking and turning blue, his face contorted with anger, and grabbing the blue Buu by the throat. "THAT'S ENOUGH!"

Goku threw the Majin back and spoke with a deadly tone. "I'm going to say this once, and only once. Go back to wherever you came from, now."

The Majin licked its lips. "Cuu not scared of blue haired man! Cuu not feel any energy at all! Cuu eat man, Cuu eat other man, Cuu eat little girl, then Cuu find more people too..."

Goku sighed with resignation, raised a hand, and obliterated Majin Cuu in a single blast. "Dammit."

"Dad! Pan's ki is dropping!" yelled Gohan.

Goku rushed over, put a hand on Gohan and Pan, and Instant Transmission'd them back to Vegeta. The Saiyan Prince took one look at them before grabbing Gohan and rushing him through the portal home while Goku grabbed Pan and brought her through himself.

* * *

All Pan saw and felt for a time since she fell unconscious was empty blackness. Slowly... very slowly... she began to feel something...

"Please! Please tell me its working!" came a woman's voice, it almost sounded like mom.

"I am, please give me space. Repairing a spinal injury, particularly a 'missing' part of a spine, isn't as easy as restoring or healing flesh," came another voice that sounded a lot like Dende.

Pan winced, suddenly starting to be able to feel her toes.

"Oh! Her foot moved!" yelled a voice.

"Krillin, were right here, no need to shout," came another voice.

"Well sorry, I haven't seen the kiddo for almost a year, and she comes back with a hole in her gut, I'm tryin not to flip out here!" retorted the voice.

"Have some patience, she'll be fine," calm a calm, commanding voice, was that... Tien?

Pan flinched, suddenly regaining most of her senses. In that instant she had felt everyone's ki around her. Ki signatures she hadn't felt in a long time, over a year counting her time in the time chamber. Her family, her friends...

The only way they were here was...

If she was home...

"Umm... she should be healed now... Pan are you awake?" asked Dende.

Pan laid there, feeling numb. She felt frightened and unsure if she really wanted to open her eyes or not. She had wanted over a year to come home, had hungered for it. But, at that moment, she wondered if she could actually go back to life as it had been before, and even if she could, did she want to?

She remembered what she had told her father, calling their home a lie. It had been raw, but, she meant it in a sense. The peacefulness she had her entire life up to the point where she went to Terra, it didn't seem to exist anywhere else that she had been. If she tried to go back to the way things were before, would it make her weak?

Regardless of that question, she couldn't just lay there forever. Slowly, and unwillingly, she opened eyes, sighting way to many faces leaning over to look at her, big dumb huge childlike smiles on their faces. Vegeta, Tien, and Piccolo stood a ways away and were the only ones who kept their composure and serious manor, though, Pan felt certain she briefly saw a smile on Piccolo's face.

She couldn't figure out what to say or do. She had dreamed about this moment, and now that it was here, she just laid there, a passive, almost sad look on her face, watching people watch her. Despite being healed, she just felt drained and tired. She felt like crying, but like hell was she going to do that in front of everyone.

Goku leaned a bit closer and offered a hand. "Heya Pan!"

She glanced up at him, she had one idea of what to say all the sudden and spoke, her tone less than friendly and rising, "Grandpa..."

Goku winced and slowly lowered his hand. "Y-yeah?"

"If you ever make a wish like that again, I swear I'm going to blast you into space," said Pan scornfully.

All that could be heard for miles was the sound of laughter...

* * *

 _Authors Notes:_

 _Aaaaaaand she's home! Goaaaaaaal!_

 _Now, lets see how the adjustments start. Gohan was the first to encounter Pan's changes, lets see how the others start to react, not to mention, how Pan herself reacts._

 _This might take a few chapters or before the next major conflict arises._


	23. Changes (Part 1)

_**Potara - Chapter 23: Changes (Part 1)**_

* * *

Pan glared dagger's at her grandfather, waiting for some kind of response.

Goku scratched his head sheepishly. "I'm sorry Pan, I never meant for you to get sucked into that portal."

Pan sighed and rose to her feet, it was not nearly good enough of an apology, but, she knew he would never, ever, mean her real harm. "I'm aware."

"Oh Pan...," came a tearful voice.

Pan turned her head to see her mother rush over and hug her as tight as she possibly could. It had been so long since mom had been there, giving her a hug. It confused Pan a little when she hesitated to return the embrace, feeling a little unsure of herself, before she slowly, and weakly hugged back.

"Where's my Granddaugh- PAAAAN!" came a loud shrill voice.

Before Pan knew what was happening, Grandma Chi-Chi barreled into the hug. "Oh Pan my sweet sweet Granddaughter! I'm so glad your- IS THAT BLOOD ON YOUR CLOTHES?!"

Pan winced at the tone. "I'm fine Grandma..."

"WHO IS THE FIEND THAT DARED TOUCH MY GRANDBABY!" shouted Chi-Chi, breaking away from the hug before turning towards Goku, "HOW COULD YOU LET SOMEONE HURT HER?!"

Goku held up defensive hands, slowly backing away. "Easy Chi-Chi..."

Pan rolled her eyes, she had almost forgotten how crazy grandma could get. "I said I'm fine Grandma, honestly, I've had worse."

Chi-Chi looked at her, shocked and horrified. "Worse?! WORSE?!"

Pan scowled and broke away from her mother's hug. "Well yeah, I did get killed at one point, dying hurt a lot more."

Chi-Chi fainted on the spot.

Grandma wasn't the only one unnerved, Pan could immediately feel a ki shift from almost everyone present. Pan frowned, wishing all the sudden she had kept her mouth shut. She could practically feel the pity, sadness, anger, or regret coming off of those around her and she wanted none of it. Maybe... she ought to try to downplay it or something?

"I dunno what she fainted for, hasn't everyone here died at one point or another?" said Pan, trying to make a joke.

"Ha," chuckled Vegeta off to the side with amusement.

Everyone else however either didn't look thrilled, or gave her strange looks.

"Well, I haven't died," said Uub.

Hmm, maybe another joke then? "Give it time, your with the right crowd."

Uub winced and replied nervously. "Uhh... I'd rather not."

"Yeesh, kinda bleak humor if you ask me," said Krillin.

Pan was starting to grow frustrated. "..."

She saw it, their eyes boring into her, questions on their mind, and tilted her head down not to meet anyone's gaze. Dammit, she could remember always handling gatherings with ease before, even when she was the guest of honor like on her birthday. Why was this going so poorly?

"You... okay Pan?" asked Krillen.

She blinked, noticing that she was clenching her fists and that they had gone bone white. She felt flustered and forcefully relaxed her hands.

"Today... has just been one hell of a day," Pan forcefully replied.

To be frank, 'hell of a day' didn't cover it. One minute she was dead, then she was revived, then she learned her Otherworld friends had been peeping in her head behind her back, then her best friend was murdered, then she ascended, then she fought Kojin, then she almost died again in a horrifyingly excruciating way with the Kaio-Ken. Lets not stop there, when she woke up, she was still in pain, saw her dad for the first time in over a year, got into an embarrassing and frustrating argument with him, got chased by a crazy version of Majin Buu that wanted to eat her and dad, got a hole blasted through her spine, and now there was this awkward gathering.

Yeah... no, she had enough. She had the sense to know within the next minute or so she'd either be screaming at them or crying herself silly.

"I'm tired, I'm going home and going to bed," Pan said, her voice growing hoarse.

"Dende just healed you," pointed out Goku with confusion.

 _Oh kami, Grandpa why are you so thick sometimes?_

Pan ignored him, turned, and flew off without another word. She flew hard and fast, going Super Saiyan to get out of there as quickly as possible. She knew they cared and were worried about her, but she could not handle this right now. She found her home, found her room, found her bed, and collapsed into, grabbed a pillow, and was crying into it within a minutes time.

* * *

Goku frowned, crossing his arms. "What's up with Pan?"

"Why Pan fly way?" asked Buu.

"I was going to ask that too," said Krillen, "Did we say something wrong?"

"And since when could Pan go Super Saiyan?" asked Yamcha.

"Since five months ago I think," said Goku, "She can go Super Saiyan 2 as well.

"Wow, jezz big brother she beat your record," joked Goten.

Gohan gave him a dry look. "That's not a good thing Goten."

Piccolo chose that moment to speak, his tone serious. "I agree, Super Saiyan 2 is not a level she could have reached just by training to it with how short a time she's been gone for. She said she'd been killed, Goku, Gohan, Videl, Vegeta, what happened?"

"Umm," Goku began with hesitation, "I don't know everything, but..."

"To start, the brat's got blood on her hands," stated Vegeta, almost with approval, "About time if you ask me, I had wiped out my first planet at less than half-GAAAAH!"

Bulma grabbed his ear and yanked it. "IDIOT! THAT'S NOT A GOOD THING!"

"Wait, Pan killed someone?" asked Trunks with disbelief.

"MY GRANDBABY WOULD NEVER COMMIT MURDER!" came Chi-Chi's shrill voice, apparently awake again.

"She would if she was going to die otherwise," muttered Vegeta, yanking his ear back.

"Hmph, self defense is not murder!" countered Chi-Chi.

"Woman! I never said it was," retorted Vegeta, "And I doubt it was anywhere near just _one_ kill considering the state of that Terra world."

"Wait, what does that mean?" asked Trunks.

"Well, that place kinda reminded me of future you's world," said Goku.

Trunks winced. "Oh wow, that bad huh?"

"It was," said Goku, going serious, "There's almost no-one left there, the Saiyans killed pretty much everyone."

Piccolo coughed. "Wait, Saiyans?!"

Vegeta nodded. "Yes, and from what that human said, their entire universe belongs to the Saiyan race."

Piccolo narrowed his eyes. "An entire universe filled with your kind acting like you used to is a threat, a very dangerous threat."

"Hmph," was Vegeta's only reply.

"Oh my poor granddaughter," wailed Chi-Chi, "Having to fight those brutes!"

"I'm more worried about that 'friend' of hers," muttered Videl.

Krillen glanced at her. "Huh? Why?"

"Because that psychotic girl turned on Pan and tried to kill her when she found out Pan was part Saiyan!" exclaimed Videl with fury.

"Hmph, some friend," said 18 dryly.

"Just what kind of people has my granddaughter been hanging out with?!" exclaimed Chi-Chi.

"Whomever she had to in order to survive," said Vegeta bluntly.

The group went silent at that.

Goku sighed. "All we know about what happened on 'Terra' is that Pan was fighting Saiyans, she learned the Kaio-Ken..."

"Oh wow, really?" asked Krillin.

18 waked the back of his head. "Let him finish."

Goku thought for a moment. "Umm oh yeah, she spent some time in their time chamber, mastered the Kaio-Ken like we did Super Saiyan, fought in a big battle, thought a friend of hers was killed, went Super Saiyan, fought another Super Saiyan and left him for dead, then her 'Odianna' friend beat and tried to kill her for being Saiyan. Gohan said he was told Pan teleported to another dimension before she could be killed."

The group absorbed the information before 18 spoke, "This 'Odianna' beat a Super Saiyan Pan? Was she an android like me?"

Goku shook his head. "Nah, she's just really crazy strong for a human and had a new kind of Kaio-Ken technique that puts her on the low end of the Super Saiyan 2 level."

"Woah woah woah, Super Saiyan 2 level?" said Yamcha, "Sign me up, I wouldn't mind learning this 'new Kaio-Ken'."

"Well, considering you could never learn the normal one...," began Krillin.

"Aww shut up," replied Yamcha.

"Mmm, to be honest, that technique probably shoulda killed her," said Goku, "Not sure how she was sustaining it, especially at a times fifty."

"Fifty?!" exclaimed Krillin.

"You can figure it out later," said Piccolo, "You said Pan had teleported to another dimension?"

Goku scratched his head. "I know even less about what happened there. All I know is she died there, got revived by her friend who was then killed by the guy who killed Pan. We figured Pan went Super Saiyan 2 afterwords and fought the guy, umm... Kojin I think his name was?"

"Dang, that's... rough," said Yamcha, "At least she got the guy, right?"

Goku winced. "Well, she was losing. We got there in time to see her use the Kaio-Ken with Super Saiyan 2 to beat him, using that combination was gonna kill her if we hadn't given her a Sensu."

"Whaaa, why would she do that?" exclaimed Yamcha.

Krillin gave him a look. "I imagine the same reason we always fought enemies way above our level. I don't know about you, but if giving my life could have beaten Cell, or Buu, I woulda gave it away in a heartbeat."

"Wait a second, if you gave Pan a Senzu," began Chi-Chi, "WHY WAS THERE A HOLE IN HER CHEST?"

"Well, even a Sensu couldn't repair all the damage, but, that hole wasn't there when she teleported herself and Gohan to another dimension," said Goku.

"Why'd she do that?" asked Uub.

"The brat was out of it, I doubt she had a conscious control of the ability at that moment," said Vegeta.

Piccolo turned to Gohan. "What happened in this third dimension?"

Gohan frowned. "Well..."

He averted his eyes and lowered his gaze. "We ran into a blue Majin Buu who tried to eat us."

"Blue Buu?" said Buu with surprise.

Gohan nodded. "It bit me and blew a hole through Pan. I managed to trick it by promising it food if it went through the portal back into the portal room. I called for dad after we arrived. He beat it, then we rushed back here."

Piccolo glanced at Goku. "Is this true?"

Goku gave him a curious look. "Well, I defeated the Blue Buu, but, why would you doubt Gohan's word about the rest?"

Piccolo frowned. "Because its more than obvious since he can't look me in the eye that he's hiding something. It's not like you to lie to us Gohan."

Everyone turned to Gohan and waited.

Gohan looked a bit sheepish. "I... well... we didn't encounter the Blue Majin Buu, uh, Cuu it called itself, for awhile. Pan and I... talked for a little bit..."

A pained look crossed Gohan's face. "I just..."

"Out with it boy!" ordered Vegeta.

"Well... I think Pan blames herself for everything that happened in those dimension," said Gohan.

Piccolo crossed his arms, an annoyed look crossing his face. "Do you think we're stupid? Any of us could have guessed that. Gohan, just say what's troubling you."

Gohan closed his eyes and sighed. "Pan thinks were soft. She didn't care that she had to kill that Kojin guy, said he deserved to die. She even wanted all of the Saiyans in that Terra dimension to die, she approved of it. When she said that, her ki just... it felt dark."

There was nothing but silence for a few minutes.

"Hmph, I don't know why you all look so stunned," said Vegeta, "It's only natural as far as I'm concerned."

"Not for Pan it's not," murmured Goku.

"Well blame yourself then Kakarot," said Vegeta.

Goku looked away, shame on his face. "..."

 _WHACK!_

Bulma smacked the back of her husband's head. "Really Vegeta?"

Vegeta scowled at her. "I'm not going to baby him, nor baby his grandbrat, because for the record, you all ARE soft. This little peaceful mudball isn't natural. The universe I grew up in is nothing like it is here on this world, and from what Pan encountered, and a lot of what we saw out there, its not peaceful in other dimensions either."

He grew scornful. "Cold reality slapped her in her face and woke her up, and now she has to deal with it."

"Daddy...," said Bra, peaking out from behind her mother, "How can you say that?"

Vegeta flinched a little at his daughter's words. "Because... as awful as it is, it's true."

Vegeta turned his gaze slowly to look at everyone gathered before pointing to the portal in the distance. "I warned Kakarot earlier, so I'll warn you now. That portal leads to an endless amount of danger to us all. The more time that passes, the more likely its going to be that some kind of threat comes out of it."

"Leave the grandbrat to her family and start training," warned Vegeta.

He glared at his son. "YOU boy, aren't even a Super Saiyan 2 yet. Beaten to it by a little girl, you WILL ascend before this year is up or were going to have to go to New Namek to revive you after I'm through with you!"

Trunks winced and held up his hands in defense. "Uh... okay dad..."

Vegeta looked at his daughter, a pained look on his face. "You... should at least become a Super Saiyan for some self-defense."

Bra nodded. "Okay daddy."

"Ah jezz Vegeta..." began Goku.

"Don't even start with me Kakarot!" roared Vegeta, "Your youngest son is just as behind as my boy, and your eldest 'boy' should be a man! He's pitiful, he could be stronger than EITHER of us yet he had to crawl to you to save his own ass and his daughter!"

Gohan said nothing, merely staring at the ground in shame.

Vegeta shook his head in disbelief, took a few steps, grabbed Trunks, and began to drag him towards Capsul Corp. "Boy! We're training, now!"

He glanced at Bulma. "Woman! After we're done this session, install a viewing glass in the gravity chamber so Bra can watch and learn."

"I knew thee well Trunks," joked Goten as the two disappeared into the building.

"Oh no you don't!" exclaimed Chi-Chi, grabbing Goten's ear, "You're training too!"

Goku raised an eyebrow at that. Chi-Chi demanding someone train?! Was she ill?

"Waaa?" wailed Goten.

"Your niece was in danger when you could have protected her!" said Chi-Chi

"But I wasn't the one sucked into the portal!" countered Goten.

"No buts!" said Chi-Chi, beginning to drag him away, "We may not have a gravity chamber but you are getting your butt training!"

"Sensei, should we start training right away?" asked Uub, stepping up to Goku.

Goku frowned for a moment. "No, I don't think you and I should."

Uub looked a little hurt. "You don't want to train with me?"

Goku winced. "That's not what I meant. I'm more than willing to, but, I think Pan needs her family right now. You should train with Buu for awhile."

"Hercule told Buu no real fight," whined Buu.

"You don't want anyone to come through that portal and hurt Mr. Saten, do you?" asked Goku.

Buu thought for a moment before picking Uub up and swinging him back and forth overhead. "Buu and Uub train! Buu and Uub train!"

"Waaaa! Sensei save me!" wailed Uub.

Goku smirked as he watched Buu basically kidnap Uub and fly away. "Have fun!"

"Goku," Tien called, "Do we have a clue when to expect something?"

Goku shook his head. "Nah, but, Vegeta has a point. Don't overdue it with your training, but keep yourself ready."

Tien nodded. "I always do, stay safe Goku, and look after your Granddaughter."

Goku nodded back. "I will."

Tien flew off afterwards. Yamcha started walking away himself, scratching his head and muttering to himself.

18 put a hand on Krillin's shoulder. "Guess that means you and I should do some _training_ of our own."

Krillin gulped.

"Should I train too?" asked Marron.

18 smiled at her. "Do you remember where to kick a man?"

Marron beamed. "Right between the legs!"

"Then that's all the training you need," said 18 smoothly, "Lets go home.

Goku smirked at that before turning to Gohan and Videl. "Well, should we go check on Pan?"

Gohan sighed. "Yes... but..."

Goku tilted his head. "What is it Gohan?"

"I want to head into the time chamber with you at some point," said Gohan.

Goku nodded. "Sure, we'll get you back up to the level the old Kai had you at in no time!"

Gohan closed his eyes painfully. "No. I..."

Goku grew confused. "What Gohan?"

"My own daughter saved my life dad! She was hurt and weak, but she saved my life from the Blue Majin! He was going to eat me alive! She almost died because I was to weak to do anything! First was Freeza, then I wasn't even noteworthy to bring along for Zamasu, now this. I... I can't let this happen anymore," said Gohan, his voice helpless.

"Gohan...," Goku said softly.

"I want you to train me to become a Saiyan god," said Gohan.

Goku stared his son in the eye, placed a hand on his shoulder, and spoke, "Alright Gohan, I'll try to get you on mine and Vegeta's level. It will probably take more than one day in the chamber though."

Gohan nodded, his voice determined. "That's fine dad. Just tell me when, and I'll go in."

Goku glanced over at Piccolo. "What about you?"

Piccolo frowned. "For now, I'll watch and wait. There's still one more factor to wait for until any real action should be taken."

Goku blinked a few times. "What?"

Piccolo nodded his head towards the sky. "The Omni-Kings. What do they have to say on this whole dimension business? These portals broke a 'rule of creation', I have no clue what they will do. Not to mention, we're now open for other Omni-Kings to potentially influence. That, more than anything else, has me worried."

Goku nodded slowly. "Yeah."

With that, Piccolo took off into the air.

Bulma walked him to Goku, Bra hanging onto her clothes. "Goku, how about we throw Pan a welcome home party? My treat."

"I don't know Bulma," said Videl, "I think we should give her some time before we do anything like that."

Bulma scowled. "But Pan loves parties!"

"She did," said Gohan, "But now, I don't know. You saw her, she was really struggling just to try and talk to us all."

"Can I come talk to Pan?" asked Bra, "Maybe I can make her feel better?"

Gohan hesitated. "Well..."

"In awhile," interrupted Goku, "Pan did say she was tired. Should give her a bit of time to herself."

Bra nodded. "Okay."

Bra looked up to Bulma. "Get ready to put that window in mama! I wana watch Daddy and Trunks fight so I can learn!"

Bulma looked at her, mortified. "What? Why! I was going to try and talk your father out of it!"

Bra narrowed her eyes, her voice adopted a tone usually only heard from Vegeta, "No one hurts my best friend Pan! No one. I'm gonna get strong and beat up anyone who tries!"

Bulma sweated a bit at that. "Umm... o-okay. L-lets go inside honey."

Goku watched the two go, an eyebrow raised. "Dang, that girl has more Vegeta in her than I thought."

"I don't know if that's a good thing," murmured Videl.

Gohan watched them go before sighing. "Well, lets head home. I think the next part is going to be even harder than our god training dad."

Goku tilted his head. "Next part?"

Gohan nodded wearily. "Pan."

* * *

 _Trivia/Facts/Author's Notes:_

 _There miiiiight have been a DBZ Abridged joke slipped in there somewhere. :D_


	24. Changes (Part 2)

_**Potara - Chapter 24: Changes (Part 2)**_

* * *

 _"Odianna I'm sorry! Please!" Pan screamed just before the enraged woman smashed a hand through her chest..._

Pan gave a start, a small scream, and woke up, cold sweat all over her body. She sat up and breathed in hard, over and over, hand clutching her chest. Her aura of power was starting to expand over her body. She blinked a few times and focused on completely suppressing it.

"Oh man... being dead four months with no sleep, I forgot what nightmares were like," muttered Pan to herself.

Pan slowly calmed her breath and tried meditating a bit. She didn't often dwell on her dreams or nightmares, especially since she couldn't remember most, but, that one was different. More often than not, back on Terra, her dreams were victory and living alongside the Kaio-Ken warriors, and her nightmares had been losing to the Saiyans, or letting people die. She hadn't had a lot of time to dream on...

She blanked for a moment.

She didn't even KNOW what the name of Bata's world was. She scowled at herself before returning to the thought on hand. She didn't remember dreaming in Bata's world when she was alive. Exhaustive sleep when she was recovering from severe injuries didn't yield much but physical recovery. But...

Her face scrunched up. "Odianna..."

Dammit, she had told her dad she wouldn't care if the teenager... correction, the immortal woman, killed her if it meant helping Terra. Obviously if she was having nightmares about it, that wasn't the case. She sighed to herself as a thought struck her. Was the nightmare about being killed by her, or because being Saiyan was a betrayal to the woman?

 _*knock knock knock*_

"Pan sweetie? Are you okay?" came her mother's voice through the door.

Pan slapped her forehead and groaned. Great, now mom had probably heard her scream. She could remember her mom comforting her through bad dreams in the past. She did not want that right now, there was no way in hell she was letting mom know.

"I'm fine," called Pan.

"Are you sure?" called in Videl.

Pan scowled, mostly to herself. "Yes.

There was silence for a moment.

"Well, we're having breakfast in a few minutes, get yourself dressed and ready," called in Videl.

Pan sighed quietly. "Okay mom."

Pan moved to her dresser and opened it, pausing to look down on vaguely familiar sets of clothes before glancing down at her two gis she had on. It had been AGES since she had really worn anything else. The Fox Gi was new-ish, but, she had borne her Grandpa's gifted gi almost the entire time since that whole mess began, except for some time in the time chamber, and while recovering on Bata's world. It was childish in a way, but, she didn't want to take them off.

Slowly, she forced herself to and laid them gently on her bed. All the repairs Bata had done had been undone during her otherworld training and at the end of the battle with Kojin. The Fox Gi was 'barely' acceptable, her Grandpa's gi was in tatters, again. She grumbled to herself, grabbed a random set of clothes from her dresser, and went into the bathroom, putting her clothes on the sink. She could remember always liking to sit in a bubble bath, but, she knew it was childish. A shower was quick, and just as effective. Though, not as fun...

She grumbled to herself and turned on the water, and quickly washed herself off before exiting, dressing, and leaving both the bathroom and her room. She started walking down the hallway, before stopping at the sound of voices...

"So... what should we say?" asked Gohan.

"I don't really know," muttered Videl, "I just... I just want to enjoy my daughter being home for awhile."

"Ah you guys worry to much, it'll be fine," came the sound of Grandpa's voice.

Pan frowned, why was Grandpa here? More importantly, why were they...

Oh.

She looked down at the floor, they were talking about her. But why did they, well, except for Grandpa, sound so strained? She was home wasn't she? She'd thought they'd be happy, but, detecting their ki, mom and dad were anxious...

Oh kami, they were probably going to ask her what happened when she was in the other dimensions. Ugh, she did not want to go through that right now. She walked back towards her room, then started walking back towards the kitchen, scuffing her feet along the floor so they'd know she was coming, not wanting to barge into the middle of a conversation.

"Morning Pan!" said Goku.

"Morning Grandpa, Mom, Dad," said Pan quietly.

"Morning sweetie," echoed Videl and Gohan.

Pan sat down at the table next to Granpa, eyeing a stack of eight bowls of cereal. "Jezz Grandpa."

"What? I didn't eat all of it, there's plenty of cereal for you," said Grandpa with innocence.

Pan rolled her eyes at that.

Videl gave her a bowl, poured cereal and milk before putting them away. Pan swirled her cereal for a few moments before slowly eating. Aside from Grandpa's constant 'crunch crunching', the table was far more silent than Pan remembered it being the last time she ate at it. It unnerved her and made her not want to be there. It was quickly making her wary.

"Pan...," began Gohan.

"What?" asked Pan quickly.

Gohan hesitated. "Well... I was wonder if you wanted to talk..."

"About?" murmured Pan, keeping her eyes on her cereal.

"Well...," said Gohan.

Oh for the love of kami, could they just get it over with and ask?

She saw it for a moment, a weak, cowardly look crossed her father's face and she could tell he was backing out of whatever he wanted to say. "Well..."

He scowled at her, masking the look. "What were you thinking using Super Saiyan 2 and the Kaio-Ken together like that? You could have been killed!"

Pan stared at him in disbelief for a minute. Was he... was he really asking that? She would rather he had asked his real question.

She narrowed her eyes. "I did the same thing you or Grandpa would have done, give everything I had."

"But we were almost..." began Gohan.

"Hello! Earth to dad! I was in a life or death beam struggle! Do you think I was aware of anything else going on?" retorted Pan, her temper growing rapidly.

"Pan, he was only worried...," began Videl.

"And even IF I had known you were coming, I would have you wanted to stay out of it," said Pan coldly, "Kojin was MINE to kill. If I failed and died, then you could have intervened, but not a moment before."

The table went completely silent.

"Do. Not. Coddle. Me." ordered Pan before she stood up and left, leaving the house and flying off in fury.

Oh how she had forgotten. There had been some discipline and responsibility given to her, but, she used to be their spoiled and coddled little girl. What FEW dangers hit the Earth when she was growing up, she had not once been allowed to fight. They had hid battles from her!

Ignoring that, having participated in a few life or death battles since she first arrived on Terra, she clearly recognized facts MUST have been kept from her about Grandpa's past battles. There was no way any of the battles she had been told about had been as clean as they were made out to be.

For example, Grandpa's story of how he first became a Super Saiyan was always an awing one for her. But, what about it had set Grandpa off? She knew Krillin had died, but that was it. HOW had he died? Or when Dad and Cell fought, all she had really been told was that Grandpa lost, dad lost, Grandpa died, and then dad ascended and beat Cell. They really weren't specific with her.

She sighed, feeling her blood boiling a little bit. Maybe some light training to get her to cool down would do some good. She probably shouldn't have been that rude, oh well...

* * *

There was nothing but silence at the kitchen table for a few minutes after Pan flew off.

"Hers... to kill...," muttered Gohan.

"Oh kami, how could our daughter say something like that?!" sobbed Videl.

Goku frowned, scratching his head. "Umm..."

"You felt her ki when she said that right?" asked Gohan.

Goku continued to frown, his eyebrows furrowed in thought. "Yeah, but, her ki wasn't like that when we came to her fighting Kojin. It might have been close to it when we first entered the dimension. But, when we arrived at the end of the fight there wasn't an ounce of that kind of ki in her. I don't get it."

Gohan thought briefly. "I imagine her going Super Saiyan 2 went a lot like mine did. Nothing but fury, then something happened to snap her out of it, then it was life or death. At that moment, nothing mattered but stopping the destruction of the world."

Goku nodded slowly. "Mmm, that whole thing was really bad for Pan. Kojin killed her, killed her friend who revived her, and was gonna blow up the world. I... would have liked to have given him the chance to back down, but, Vegeta would probably scold me and tell me to be realistic. Kojin wouldn't have changed... mayb-."

Goku stopped, noticing Gohan's knuckles were bone white. "He broke her in half dad. S-she told me he broke her in half then blasted her to death."

Goku stopped thinking for a moment, his face contorting with rage not seen often on his face. "That... that... MONSTER!"

Goku's anger changed to worry when he saw the conflict on Gohan's face. "What else?"

"The way I learned that was because she joked about and said it would be preferable to starving," said Gohan.

Videl coughed and gagged for a moment, choking on water. "S-she what? Yesterday was bad enough with poor Uub! No one should joke about dying like that!"

Goku frowned. "I do sometimes, but, you didn't say that yesterday. Gohan, is there anything else your not telling us?"

"Her eyes dad...," Gohan whispered, "Get her talking about something serious, and then look into her eyes. You'll... you'll understand."

Goku felt a lump form in his throat. He couldn't remember the last time he felt unwilling to meet a challenge. He always fought his fights head on, even if he was frightened. But... what Gohan was asking him for some reason made him hesitant, and afraid.

He closed his eyes. Especially since whatever was going on with Pan was his fault. He just... he just never learned his lesson! He had instigated the Universal Survival Tournament, and now this whole dimension mumbo jumbo. The worst part was, Vegeta was probably right. They'd help Pan now, but who knew what was coming down the road? She was the strongest out of the next generation of Saiyans thus far. Her dad could bridge the gap for a time if he could become a Saiyan god, but, even then it would come to rest on the youngest three, er, four with Bra, at some point.

He blinked, feeling Pan power up in the distance. She was alone, so, training probably. He knew training first thing after something like this was something he'd do, but he'd have thought Pan would rest more. Either way, he couldn't back down.

Goku sighed and put two fingers to his forehead. "I'll go see Pan."

* * *

Saying Pan was frustrated would be a bit of an understatement. "Come on body! ASCEND! I did it against Kojin and to save dad! I gotta be able to ascend at will!"

She floated into the air, closed her eyes, forcing images of Bata's death and the Blue Majin trying to eat dad through her mind. There was a brief spark of electricity along her Super Saiyan body, but nothing else. She clenched her fists in fury and threw out a punch to vent...

 _WHAM_

"Owwww! Paaaaan!" whined Goku.

She gave a start, opening her eyes to see Grandpa there, a black and blue on his cheek. "Whaa! Grandpa really? Why would you teleport so close to someone training?"

Goku smiled sheepishly. "Whoops, my bad."

Pan stared at him for a moment, this was a chance to test and push herself, before assuming a fighting stance. "Since your here, let's fight."

Goku hesitated. "Well... I was wondering if you wanted to talk..."

Pan glared at him.

"...after the spar," said Goku, adopting a fighting stance, a grin on his face.

Pan rushed at him, throwing a heavy hit right for his face. Goku barely dodged in time before countering, kicking at her side. Pan grabbed his leg before it could hit, spun, and threw him to the ground.

"What are you waiting for Grandpa? Go Super Saiyan at least!" ordered Pan.

Goku smirked. "Just warming up in my base first."

The veins on Pan's forehead bulged. "I am NO warmup."

Goku winced. "That's not what I..."

Pan flew at him, aiming a kick towards his head and gave a roar. "Heeeeyaaaa!"

Goku caught the kick effortlessly, his aura turning yellow and his hair spiking. Pan grinned, finally he was at least taking her somewhat seriously. She knew she had no chance to actually win against him, but, she wanted him to push her.

Goku spun and threw Pan into the air before rushing at her and throwing a bunch of light punches. Pan barely managed to block, deflect, or parry them. She cringed as one hit and flew back at the impact. Damn, she had forgotten just how strong Grandpa actually was. They both might be regular Super Saiyans, but he was WAY out of her league. Even now she had a feeling he was still holding back a considerable amount of his regular Super Saiyan power.

Goku rubbed a finger under his chin and smiled. "Hee hee, that's my Granddaughter, you've gotten really strong!"

"If you say so," said Pan, trying to figure out a good way to land a hit.

Goku gave her a curious look. "If I say so? You are strong. Your already stronger than your father and I were against Cell before your dad ascended. Speaking of which..."

He smirked. "How about you kick it up to the next level! I wana see your full power for myself!"

Pan floated in the air there for a moment, saying and doing nothing. Dammit body, she could NOT embarrass herself in front of Grandpa. GO SUPER SAIYAN 2 she self-ordered. She clenched her fists, trying to spike her anger and send thoughts of Bata and her dad through her mind again. Do it, DO IT!

Goku cocked his head to the side, studying her. "Oh, haven't gotten the transformation down yet? Yeah, it took me awhile too."

Pan cringed, red flushing her face. No dammit, she would not look WEAK in front of Grandpa!

"HEEEEYAAAAA!" Pan screamed, her power erupting and lightning coursing over her body at her self-fury.

Goku raised an eyebrow. "Huh, not bad at all."

 _WHAM_

Pan drove a fist into his chest, coming at him instantly.

Goku winced and flew back at the impact. "Yeeesh, you ain't pulling punches."

Pan watched her Grandpa's aura expand a little and his power shoot up. She ground her teeth and felt flustered. He wasn't even ascending himself to fight her! Was she really that far behind? NO! She would force him to ascend to match her, she'd prove herself strong.

Pan flew at him and threw as many punches and kicks as she could as quickly as she could.

Goku blocked or dodged them effortlessly, he spoke calmly and instructed, "Your getting angry Pan and getting sloppy, calm down and focus. A spar isn't anything to get mad over."

Pan blinked and stopped, floating away slowly. "..."

Goku waited. "Well?"

"Go Super Saiyan 2," said Pan quietly.

Goku frowned. "Pan, you ain't gonna get anything out of this if I win that quick."

Pan flinched. "I-I need to push myself as hard as I can!"

Goku studied her briefly, a concerned look on his face. "Pan..."

He sighed before adopting a fighting stance. "Impress me and I'll ascend."

Pan flew at him, throwing several light punches. After he blocked the third she threw a heavy right hook at his shoulder. Goku raised an arm and barely deflected it, wincing a little. She kept on going, smoothly putting Fox Style in motion, jab jab jab PUNCH!

She gave a start when he preemptively caught the heavy hit, spun her around, and threw her back. "That's predictable Pan. Against a skilled opponent, your only going to get that off once or twice before they figure it out and adapt."

Pan frowned, recalling how quickly she herself had identified how the style worked. "Well, back on Terra you only needed to get it off once or twice against equal or weaker opponents."

Goku smirked. "I'm neither of those."

Pan flinched at the remark and looked down. "I... I know. I was just trying to show you what I learned..."

There was a silence for a moment. "Don't drop your guard Pan!"

She gave a start and looked up in time to see Grandpa rush at her. She flew back, blocking the punches he threw her way. She stopped backpedaling suddenly, brought an arm upwards to push his hand and arm up before ramming her other fist into his chin.

Goku drifted back at the impact, his face turned away, before he brought his head back down to level at her, a smirk on his face. "Good counter."

"Low impact," she muttered, clenching her fists.

She was practically smoldering. This was completely, and utterly pathetic on her part. She WOULD make him go Super Saiyan 2! Pan gave a cry of fury, her power erupting and pushing to its peak before blitzing Grandpa and smashing a fist into his chest, launching him back...

* * *

Goku could only think one thing as he flew back through the air. This had gotten _very_ unfriendly, _very_ fast. He stopped himself and flipped upright as Pan came at him again. Goku tightened his defense, blocking and dodging every punch and kick with a bit of effort, but did not counter.

He really wanted to be impressed, and he was with her power for her age, but, not with how she was fighting him. He was all for fighting seriously in a spar, but, she wasn't only fighting seriously. She was fighting him like she was trying to hurt him. There was a cold, deadly edge in her eyes that did not belong in a mere spar.

Goku countered all the sudden, hitting her cheek and launching her back. He did not pursue, merely watching her.

Pan recovered, a little blood trailing down her lips, before wiping it on her sleeve, a savage grin on her face. "That's more like it. Show me what you've got, S _aiyan_."

Goku stared at her in disbelief before narrowing his eyes. What in the world had gotten into her? This had gone on long enough, he was not going to fight her like this. In the span of a single second, he ascended to Super Saiyan 2 and knocked her to the ground in one hit, leaving a small crater where she impacted. Her aura was gone, and she laid there cringing.

He powered down, descended to the ground, his arms crossed, and kept a critical eye on her as she slowly sat up, massaging her shoulder. She looked up at him, a grin on her face. He could tell she was pleased she had made him ascend, but...

"If you had sparred with Trunks or Goten like that, or any of our other friends, you could have seriously hurt them," said Goku calmly.

Pan's grin faded away, a passive and uncertain look crossing her face. "W-well..."

She looked away, shame coating her face. "..."

"I don't remember teaching you to fight like that," said Goku.

"You didn't," she murmured weakly.

Goku thought for a moment before it hit him. That Terra world...

"I might be a Saiyan, Pan, but I'm not one of those kinds of Saiyans, you don't need to fight like that anymore," said Goku softly.

Pan stared at him passively for a moment before she flinched and then her eyes narrowed. "Yeah, your to _soft_ to be one of them."

Goku went silent for a moment, wondering what he had done to set her off, before he walked forward and offered her a hand. "There's nothing wrong with that. It takes a strong person to be willing to show mercy."

Pan took the hand, and shocked him when she pulled herself up and slammed a fist into his face. He fell back onto his butt, staring at her in disbelief.

"That is what your mercy would have gotten you on Terra! Your lucky it was me, one of those Saiyans would have KILLED you if you offered them a hand!" Pan said with anger and desperation.

Goku opened and closed his mouth a few times, trying to think of what in the world he was supposed to say. He was a bit mad she had done that, it was a low blow. But, he wasn't so blind that he couldn't realize she was trying to tell him something. Her tone was borderline pleading with him.

"It's the right thing to do," said Goku.

Pan stood up and yelled at him, "LIAR!"

He looked at her, not understanding.

"I showed him mercy! I wanted to let him live! That Saiyan MURDERED three people when I did!" Pan yelled at him, "They died because of ME!"

Goku winced, seeing tears well up in her eyes. He remembered what that Aideen lady had told them. Goku stood up, walked over, and hugged Pan.

"It's okay Pan, it's okay," he murmured.

"Its NOT okay!" she said hoarsely, "I-I s-saw it Grandpa, I saw it..."

He grow confused. "Saw what?"

She looked like she was trying to speak, but could only start to cry.

Goku hesitated for a moment before putting a hand on her forehead. "Show me Pan, show me what you saw."

Pan trembled for a few moments before she closed her eyes and focused. It had been a long time since Goku had last read someone's mind, but, he did remember how to do it. Memories started flooding through a moment later.

First the battle at the fields, then Pan trying to show the Saiyan mercy and arguing with Odianna. The Saiyan spurning the chance and murdering the farmers in cold blood almost threatened to make Goku explode in anger. He remembered when Freeza had done that, taking his own energy he had gifted him to survive and tried to back-stab him. Some people... some people were just fools who would never learn.

He saw Pan explode in rage and kill the Saiyan. While he regretted it had come to that, he didn't blame her, at that point the Saiyan had thrown away his second chance and had to be stopped. He watched Pan begin to break down, only for Odianna hurt and scream at Pan. Cold fury rushed over him. She should have been trying to comfort and talk to Pan! Not rebuke her! Pan was just a kid...

The memories continued, seeing Pan run off and cry to herself for awhile before returning. Goku swore he could feel that slap when Pan returned to Odianna and the teenager hit her. He watched Pan have to take the corpse of the farmer, flying a great distance before arriving at...

Goku briefly stopped reading her mind and closed his eyes once the makeshift mass graveyard came into view. Ah Pan..., she shouldn't have had to see that. He resumed, watching her bury the farmer and fly deeper into the graveyard. He felt... frustrated and saddened when he saw her lose faith in him, seeing her beg him not to hate her for killing, and then accuse him of being a liar.

He stopped reading her mind and sighted a harrowed look in her eyes, hungering for approval; he wrapped her in a tight hug, and spoke softly, "I could never hate you Pan. You did what you had to do, and seeing that graveyard, they had their second chance already, a long time ago."

Pan hugged him back fiercely, as if life or death, and began sobbing nonstop with relief. It hit him hard, seeing her like that. She... did she really think he would have hated her? He had a bad feeling this was only the beginning. Just what else had happened to her on that world and the other one?

Reluctantly, Goku put his hand back on her forehead. "Pan, I want you to show me everything that happened, from the moment you left, to the moment you got back. Okay?"

Pan nodded and sniffled. "Okay Grandpa..."

* * *

 _Author's Notes:_

 _I imagine there will be two-three more parts of 'Changes'. Its going to be the longest multi-part chapter for a long time I imagine. It took me a bit longer to write because I'm struggling to decide just how upset/unstable Pan should actually be after all that._

 _FYI: Pan is NOT insane nor do I think she should be PTSD levels of traumatized (maybe?), but, she should be very rattled underneath her adopted 'tough girl' attitude._

 _I'm contemplating a time skip afterwards going to the next major threat. I had an idea for it working out in my mind..._


	25. Changes (Part 3)

_**Potara - Chapter 25: Changes (Part 3)**_

* * *

Son Goku walked out of the lookout bedroom, having put a physically and very mentally tired Pan to bed. He glanced outward, sighting Dende and Popo talking quietly at one end, and Piccolo standing by himself at the other end. Goku walked to stand by Piccolo, gazing down at the Earth.

Goku sighed. "Well, I figured out what Gohan meant after I read Pan's mind. The way she looked at me before she cried herself to sleep. It was rough..."

"How bad was what she went through?" asked Piccolo.

"Just as bad as any of our struggles and journey's against Freeza, Cell, or Majin Buu," said Goku, "Only, Pan was an eight to nine year old girl without her family and friends who hadn't been hardened towards this sort of thing. Not to mention she was fighting alongside questionable allies, especially one in particular."

Piccolo grunted. "Hmph, worse than Vegeta or I?"

Goku smirked and put a hand on Piccolo's shoulder. "Neither of you were as bad as that Odianna girl. You both could be reasoned with, she could not. Though, I suppose I'm being a bit to judging on the others, they weren't bad and tried to be good friends with Pan."

He pulled his hand away, frowning. "That dimension though..."

Piccolo nodded. "Good, your thinking ahead. The Saiyans' there could become a very real problem. An entire universe full of them, its mind boggling."

Goku shook his head. "Nah, they actually don't concern me, yet. As I understand it, very few of them are even at Super Saiyan 2. From Pan's memory of that one Odianna beat, if that's the level they are all at, the Saiyans there have a long way to go before they even reach the level Vegeta and I were during the whole Majin Buu thing. Not to mention, they are all apparently fighting one another, so, were not even on their radar."

Piccolo's eyes furrowed. "Why does that dimension concern you then if the Saiyan's don't?"

Goku frowned intently. "Odianna played us. When I first encountered her, I knew something was off with how she was maintaining her Kaio-Ken effortlessly, and when she survived going 'Hyper' Kaio-Ken."

Piccolo raised an eyebrow. "Hyper?"

Goku shook his head. "Don't even think about it, I doubt a mortal body could survive it."

Piccolo narrowed his eyes. "I'm not daft, if you say a mortal body can't handle it, then she's-."

Goku nodded before closing his eyes and sighing. "Yeah, she's immortal. She was turned immortal for a good cause, but, it just all went downhill for her and that world. They've had it far worse than we did. It's a real shame. They didn't deserve what happened to them, and even though I'm _very_ angry with Odianna with how she hurt and influenced Pan, she didn't deserve to go through that life either."

Piccolo began to tap his feet. "You haven't explained how she 'played you' yet."

Goku half smiled. "She's immortal, and she got us to remove the two-day time limit on her time chamber. From what I understand about her from when we met, and from Pan's memories, shes driven by an insatiable hatred of Saiyans. If I had to guess, shes probably been in there almost every day since the chamber was changed. That was four moths ago, so, already over a hundred years."

Piccolo frowned intently. "Goku, that's a problem. That's a huge problem. Humans may not scale in power with training to the degree you Saiyans do, but, an Immortal whose empowered by a more powerful Kaio-Ken with near infinite training time?"

Goku nodded. "Yeah. Though I doubt she'll get anywhere near strong enough to challenge the power of Super Saiyan Blue, I'm pretty sure by the next time we meet she'll be able to handle even my Super Saiyan 3, probably with ease. Though, unless she can actually figure out how to both get out of her dimension and find ours, she might not be a problem. Not to mention, she has an entire universe full of Saiyans to fight first."

He glanced at Piccolo. "But, just incase she does wind up here at some point, up for practicing the Evil Containment Wave later?"

Piccolo smirked. "Hmph, you always have some kind of plan. I'm surprised you don't want to go out and fight her though."

Goku smiled softly. "Maybe I do. But, I think I've drawn enough attention to our world over the years and brought far to much trouble with the Universal Survival Tournament and this dimension stuff."

Piccolo turned his head and studied Goku for a moment before grunting and facing forward. "About time you learned your lesson. It's a shame it took your Granddaughter having to go through a trial like that on her own for you to finally realize it."

Goku winced. "Low blow Piccolo."

"Hmph, truth hurts," replied Piccolo.

There was silence for a few minutes.

"So, what do you intend to do?" asked Piccolo.

"With Pan? I dunno. I mean...," Goku began before pausing briefly to think.

"I don't understand some of the things Pan did," he admitted.

"Such as?" asked Piccolo.

Goku hesitated. "Well, I dunno if I should say anything without Pan's permission."

Piccolo merely stared at him.

Goku rolled his eyes. "Well..."

He looked a bit squeamish. "Her stay in the time chamber when preparing for an Saiyan invasion really... made me feel a bit sick. There's a big difference between pushing your body to its limits, and destroying yourself over and over again. It wasn't one or two times, she almost killed herself dozens of times. There were a few times she just started crying and deliberately blasted herself to near-death with the Kamehameha wave."

Piccolo frowned intently. "She probably figured out that Saiyans grow stronger when recovering from near-death."

Goku shook his head slowly. "Even so, Gohan and I... we never trained and bled like that. The damage she did to herself just with those stunts she pulled with the Kaio-Ken... I'd rather have gone through several rounds of letting Freeza beat on me back in the day. It would have been the kinder thing to do to my body. That kind of pain and self-abuse is just unnatural."

"Perhaps, but, I want you to recognize something Goku. As I figure it, she was a little girl without any guidance willing to do whatever it took to get strong enough to stop people she probably cared about from dying. Of everything you taught her, to never give up and push yourself beyond your limits was something she probably took to heart," said Piccolo.

Goku sighed. "I guess. Just... I wish she hadn't done that stuff to herself. If she hadn't gotten a new body when she died, I woulda made her eat a few Senzu beans after I saw what kind of damage she did to herself, even being Saiyan wouldn't have fixed all of that. I might not be a doctor, but I think no nine year old girl should be having heart attacks."

Piccolo winced. "No, definitely not."

Goku scratched his head. "Not to mention, I do remember ' _some_ ' of the first aid lessons Chi-Chi made me go through, I think a few times Pan outright passed out or had pain attacks after abusing the Kaio-Ken might have been sees, seiz... um... seizures?"

Piccolo rubbed the bridge of his nose and gave a disgruntled sigh. "We all apparently did a piss poor job teaching her how to properly push herself. We'll have to fix that, especially since the first thing she did after waking up and eating was go train. She wants to get stronger, we have to straighten her out on how to properly do it."

Goku nodded. "I'll handle that."

Piccolo cleared his throat. "Anything else that didn't make sense?"

Goku tilted his head back and forth. "Her fights, even if I didn't like them, made enough sense to me. Though, she definitely goofed by going in against Kojin blind. Also, a lot of the girl stuff she talked about with Aideen during their down time was..."

Piccolo coughed. "Goku, your male, they're female. There's probably a reason it doesn't make sense to you."

Goku smirked. "I guess. The only other thing that really alarmed me was her training in the afterlife. I mean, she trained correctly to master Super Saiyan, but, she just seemed so miserable and angry the entire time. Not to mention, she didn't know she was getting revived, so she wasn't training to come back and save everyone like I did with King Kai, she was training to obliterate Kojin's soul when he died."

Piccolo grew confused. "But... she never would have gotten that opportunity. For one, the chances of him getting to keep his body were slim to none, and two, regardless of his body he would have immediately been sent to hell."

Goku nodded, an angry look coming over his face. "I know, and her training partner and teacher probably knew that too. Just like Odianna, they pushed her towards that to suit their own needs of defeating Kojin. They should have been straight with her. Making her think she was never going to be revived, never see us again, its almost unforgivable to me."

He closed his eyes. "Especially since Pan was going to destroy her own soul or be reincarnated after destroying Kojin, just because she didn't think she was going to ever see us all again."

Piccolo stiffened. "Fool girl... willing to throw everything away like that..."

Piccolo slowly shook his head. "Standing up here looking down on humanity. I've seen what depression and despair can do to a human. Its not a pleasant sight to see. Now that she's alive and back home, I hope she wont think such thoughts again, but, just incase, keep an eye on her."

Goku nodded. "I ain't worried about that, but, I'll do as you ask anyway."

He crossed his arms. "The thing that really worries me right now is breaking her of how she fights. Were you watching us spar? You saw how she fought at the end, right?"

Piccolo nodded. "Yes. It wouldn't be intentional, but, she could kill or seriously harm someone with ease if she got worked up like that again. She's too dangerous right now to risk letting her spar with anyone but you, Vegeta, myself, or Gotenks. She doesn't need accidentally killing or maiming someone during a spar on her conscience right now."

Goku massaged his forehead. "I'm a bit frustrated to be honest. I taught her mercy, I taught her how to hold back. It just all started going downhill for Pan after she lost control and killed that first Saiyan. Odianna and Cheikame both influenced Pan in bad ways, one deliberately, one by withholding the truth. Too see so much of what I taught her undone in a few months, one time chamber visit on Terra, and a few months in the afterlife is a bit disheartening."

"Perhaps, but if it came down to it, at least Pan would do what she'd have to do," said Piccolo, "I'm not sure you should try to undo all of what she's learned, some of it yes, but not all of it."

Goku frowned at him. "I dunno Piccolo, I dunno."

They grew silent for a few minutes before Piccolo asked, "So, what DO you intend to do at the moment with her?"

Goku half-smiled. "Well, I have one idea..."

* * *

Pan gave a start and woke up when something cold and wet hit her forehead. "Wha...?"

"Oops, sorry Pan, your icecream is melting!" came her Grandpa's voice.

Pan looked up, sighting her Grandpa standing next to the bed she was in holding two very large icecream cones, one was half eaten; she wiped off her forehead before asking, "How long have you been standing there?"

Goku shrugged. "I was hoping you'd wake up ten minutes ago."

He offered the none-eaten icecream. "You like chocolate-vanilla swirl, right?"

Pan smiled and took it. "Yeah, its been so long since I had icecream."

Goku sat down next to her and they quietly enjoyed the treat.

 _*crunch crunch*_

Pan finished off the cone itself. "Thanks Grandpa."

"No problem Pan," replied Goku.

Pan looked down at the floor for a moment, trying to work up the courage to speak. "Umm... G-grandpa?"

"Yeah Pan?" answered Goku.

"T-thank you," she said quietly.

Goku gave her a curious look. "You already said thanks for the icecream."

Pan rolled her eyes. "Dummy! That's not what I meant!"

"Huh?" was Goku's response.

Pan struggled to look up and meet his gaze, feeling bashful. "I-I mean... for coming for me out there in the dimensions. For not hating me for what I did. And... for being willing to listen."

Goku blinked a few times. "Listen?"

She could have groaned, he wasn't making this easy, sometimes she wondered if he acted like this on purpose. "Listening to my memories, of what happened."

Goku gave her a warm smile and ruffled her hair. "Pan, I woulda kept looking for you forever if that's what it took, and I already told you I could never hate you. As for listening, I'm always willing if you ever need to talk."

Pan smiled weakly and grew silent.

"Though, I wasn't the only one who was looking for you. Vegeta, your dad and mom, even the Supreme Kai came with us," said Goku, "You ought to go say thank you to your dad and mom, and apologize for earlier, then go thank Vegeta."

Pan winced. "Well, I guess I was a little rude, but, that question he asked was dumb!"

"You know he was just flustered and couldn't ask what he really wanted to," Goku pointed out.

Pan scowled. "I guess."

"I'll drop you off at home," said Goku as he put a hand on her shoulder and two fingers to his forehead.

 _ZIP_

Goku instant transmissioned them to the house and took his hand off her shoulder.

Pan glanced up at him. "Grandpa, you gotta teach me the instant transmission sometime."

Goku smirked. "When your older, its a really complex thing to learn."

Pan scowled. "Fine, fine."

Goku put two fingers to his forehead and said before disappearing. "See ya later."

Pan gave a heavy sigh and walked into her home, making her way to the kitchen. Her mother and father were sitting at the table talking quietly to themselves. They stopped and glanced her way when she stepped into the room.

"Umm... sorry about earlier," mumbled Pan.

Gohan gave her a soft smile. "Its okay, I'm sorry too."

"How are you feeling sweetie?" asked Videl.

Pan shrugged and moved to the table to sit down. "Okay I guess."

"You work it all out on your Grandpa?" teased Videl.

Pan rolled her eyes. "He hit me harder than I hit him."

There was a small chuckle from the three of them before Gohan cleared his throat. "Pan, umm... Mr. Saten called us earlier, were going to need to go over the cover story before the police arrive to talk to you tomorrow."

Pan blanked. "Uh... what?"

"Well, we left it up to mom and Mr. Saten to decide how to explain you and us being gone," Gohan began.

Pan groaned. "What did he do?"

"Well, apparently you were 'kidnapped' and we went out to search and rescue you," said Gohan.

Pan put her face on the table. "Ugh, I don't know which Grandpa is worse sometimes."

"We'll have to get it down pat so there is no conflicting information if someone asks you in school," said Videl.

Pan slowly picked her head up from the table, a frown on her face. "School..."

She mulled it over for a minute before speaking. "I'm not going back to school."

Gohan and Videl exchanged glances before Gohan spoke sternly, "Pan, you need to go to school and go to college to get a decent paying job these days."

Pan crossed her arms and scowled. "What are you, Grandma? Grandpa lives well enough off farming, so, so can I. I can't afford to waste time at school! I have to train as hard as I can!"

"Pan...," began Gohan.

"Don't Pan me!" exclaimed Pan, "I CAN'T be weak anymore! I have to get stronger! I-I..."

She bowed her head. "Daddy, so many people died or almost died because I wasn't strong enough, I died because I wasn't strong enough... I couldn't bear to lose you and mom because I was weak..."

Gohan looked lost, stricken at her words, "Pan... that's not something you should be worrying about, a burden you shouldn't have to handle..."

"I have to dad," she whispered, "I saw what happens if I don't."

She cleared her throat, and reigned in her trembling voice before she looked up at them. "If you make me go, I'm just going to fly out of school. I'm a Super Saiyan 2, if you try to keep me there yourselves or with someone watching over me I'm not going to back down, I will cause a scene. Each. And. Every. Time. Good luck explaining ki blasts to the media."

Gohan sighed, a pained look on his face. "I suppose I can't really stop you then if your that set. But, your still getting home-schooled."

Pan rolled her eyes. "As long as it doesn't cut into training that much."

"Sweetie, are you sure about all of this?" asked Videl with concern.

Pan nodded. "I'm sorry mom, but I am."

Pan got up from the table and made for the door before pausing. "Mom, dad, thank you for coming to look for me."

They both smiled faintly at her.

"I gotta go thank Mr. Vegeta, I'll be back later, bye!" said Pan before rushing out the door and flying off.

* * *

Videl sighed and looked to Gohan. "What do we do?"

Gohan shook his head. "Nothing. Unless we want her to resent us for the rest of her life, we can't stop her. All we can do is try to support her and be there for her as best we can."

Videl closed her eyes. "I wish this had never happened. It... it hurts to see that she isn't the same smiling joyful little girl anymore. She's just... so serious all the time now, I'm scared that she wont ever be happy like she was ever again. Your father is a good man Gohan, and I know he meant no harm, but, I don't know if I can forgive him."

Gohan sighed. "I know Videl, I know. But, Pan's dead set on her course, and the only one who can really steer her right on that path is my dad. When he and I go into the time chamber, were going to have a long talk. He caused this, he better see it through to the end..."

* * *

Pan eyed Capsule Corp from the air, mulling something over in her mind. She did want to thank Vegeta, but, there was another reason in her mind for her to go see him. She landed at Capsule Corp and knocked on the door...

She gave a yelp when a certain blue haired girl barreled out of the door and took her to the ground in a tackle hug. "Hey Pan!"

"Jezz, hi Bra," said Pan.

"I'm so glad your back! Its so good to see you again," said Bra, sniffling.

Pan nodded. "Its... good to be back. Is your dad in?"

Bra rolled her eyes. "Is my dad in? Please, you can feel him in the gravity chamber. He just got done mopping the floor with Trunks, c'mon."

The two girls entered the house. They passed the kitchen, Pan took note of Trunks sitting at the table with his mother putting an icepack against a bruise on his face. Pan took in the sight critically, eyeing how much damage Vegeta was willing to dish out against his own son. Pan nodded, making up her mind on what to ask Vegeta before she moved to follow Bra. They reached the gravity chamber and Bra knocked on the door.

"Daddy! Pan's here to see you!" Bra called in, trying to be heard over the hum of the chamber.

When nothing happened, Pan stepped forward, powered up a bit, and heavily knocked on the door.

Bra giggled when the humm stopped. "That's one way to get his attention."

Vegeta opened the door and scowled at them. "What do you want?"

Pan bowed her head to him. "Umm, thank you for coming to help find me."

Vegeta crossed his arms. "You interrupted my training for that? Hmph, fine, your welcome, you can go now."

"No need to be mean daddy," scolded Bra.

Pan stepped forward and stood directly in-front of him. "Vegeta..."

He frowned at her. "What is it grandbrat?"

"I want you to train me," said Pan.

Vegeta raised an eyebrow. "Kakarot's grandbrat comes to ME for training? What? Is he gone to _mushy_ after his dear grandbrat is back to lift a finger against you?"

"No, we sparred earlier," said Pan, "But, he holds back to much."

Vegeta scowled. "Because you couldn't handle anymore than he gave you. Don't waste my time, he's more than capable."

Vegeta turned, walked into the room, and began to close the door before Pan grabbed it. "I mean it Vegeta! I don't care how hard the training is or how badly you hurt me. I''ll have already done worse to myself, I can take anything you dish out!"

Bra gave her a sharp look. "Pan...?"

Vegeta slowly pushed the door open again, eyeing Pan critically. "..."

She stared him right in the eye, not budging an inch.

"Bra, go help your mother tend to Trunks, Pan and I need to talk," said Vegeta.

"But...,' began Bra.

"Now!" barked Vegeta.

Bra winced and scurried away.

"Enter, now," ordered Vegeta.

Pan walked inside and turned as Vegeta closed the door behind them. They stood, as if at an impasse, both staring at eachother with arms crossed.

"You will explain what you meant by 'worse to yourself'," ordered Vegeta.

Pan frowned. "I trained in the time chamber back on Terra. I damn near destroyed myself with the Kaio-Ken plenty of times, nothing you could do could compare to that."

Vegeta raised an eyebrow. "Is that a challenge?"

"Maybe it is," taunted Pan, hoping he would take the bait.

"Hmph, if you can already push yourself to that kind of extreme training, why would you need me?" asked Vegeta, dashing her plan.

Pan took note of the critical gleam in his eyes and carefully formed her words. "Because, all I learned on Terra was to fight like a human. I want you to teach me to fight like a _Saiyan_."

Vegeta silently studied her.

Pan stood there, waiting patiently as the minutes passed by.

Finally, he spoke, "I already have my hands full with the brats and my own training, I can't..."

Pan rushed at him, ascending to Super Saiyan 2 and lashing a heavy fist towards his face. Vegeta caught it effortlessly, merely going Super Saiyan to match her. He tightened his grip on her fist, squeezing down. Pan resisted the pain, merely staring him in the eye.

"Hmph," said Vegeta.

He threw her back and to the floor before turning to the gravity machine. "I meant what I said. My time is cut short. I will offer you two hours on Mondays at six o'clock in the evening. No more, no less. Be there on time every time or don't bother showing up at all from that point onward, and no after school activities excuse like my own children try to give me will work. Are we clear?"

Pan relaxed her power and nodded, a grin on her face. "Perfectly, and besides, I'm training full time, I'm not going back to school."

"Is that so? I'm surprised your family would agree to that," said Vegeta, an interested tone in his voice.

"I didn't give them a choice," said Pan.

Vegeta smirked. "Hah, perhaps I might squeeze in a few more hours for you here and there then, but, don't push your luck. Now leave."

Pan stood up and walked out, a content look on her face. With both Grandpa AND Vegeta training her, she was sure to get really strong, and really skilled. She nodded to herself; Good, she needed to become as powerful as she could as quickly as she could. Maybe, if she pushed herself hard enough, she could become a Super Saiyan God by the time she was fifteen or so, maybe even sooner! She smiled and hummed to herself. She'd become so strong that NO ONE could ever hurt anyone she cared about again. And if they tried... well... she wouldn't give them a chance to try a second time...

* * *

Vegeta rubbed his chin in thought, turning towards the gravity machine and ramping it up. Perhaps he was wrong about the next generation not being able to rise to the challenge. Though, he had taken note; Pan seemed to have changed a lot more than he thought she had, he wasn't quite sure yet what to make of her. Regardless, he was a bit at odds with training one of Kakarot's blood. Speaking of which...

Vegeta turned Super Saiyan Blue and waited.

When nothing happened he scowled. "Damn clown can't take the hint."

Vegeta turned the godly power on and off like a switch until finally...

 _ZIP_

"Yo, what's up Vegeta?" asked Goku, teleporting into the room.

"Why was your Grandbrat here asking me to train her?" asked Vegeta.

Goku gave him a look of surprise. "Pan was? Really?"

"Said she wanted me to teach her to fight like a Saiyan," said Vegeta.

Goku frowned and crossed his arms in thought. "Hmm..."

He looked at Vegeta and asked. "You got a few hours to talk about Pan?"

Vegeta turned back to the gravity machine and cranked it up further. "So long as it doesn't interrupt my training..."

* * *

 _Author's notes:_

 _Weekend's here! I'll try to get at least one chapter or more out on both tomorrow and Sunday._

 _If you guys have any feedback to give, don't hesitate to leave it in a review or PM._


	26. Changes (Part 4)

**_Potara - Chapter 26: Changes (Part 4)_**

 _Lord Kojin looked like he was starting to grow annoyed. "If you refuse to bend a knee, then you will be punished."_

 _He raised a hand, but instead of aiming it at Pan, he aimed it at Bata. "Perhaps the death of your friend here would help you see reason."_

 _A ki blast erupted from his hand, but rather than move to intercept it, Pan stood there, riveted in horror and fear, as her friend was obliterated in the blast..._

Pan gave a scream of fear and sat up in her bead. "BATA!"

Bolts of electricity rushed down her body and she was ascended to Super Saiyan 2 before she could register she was in her room, not in the Arena at Kojin's Monastery. She looked around, feeling tense, before it dawned on her what was going on.

"Kami... damned... nightmares!" hissed Pan in a rage, cold sweat drenching her body.

The door to her room burst open and Gohan rushed in. "Pan? Are you okay?"

Pan looked at him for a moment before looking away and powering down. "S-sorry... just a bad dream..."

Gohan walked over and sat down on the bed next to her. "You want to talk about it?"

Pan grumbled, "Not really..."

"Pan, tell me whats bothering you," ordered Gohan, his voice growing stern.

Videl walked into the room and stood next to the door-frame quietly.

Pan grew furious. "It was a dumb dream! It wasn't what really happened! I didn't cower and let her die! I didn't stand still! I saved Bata!"

She bowed her head and mumbled. "Even if Kojin did kill me afterwords, I still saved Bata's life... at least that time..."

Gohan put a hand on her shoulder. "Pan, its okay, I used to have nightmares like this all the time."

Pan looked up at him. "You... did?"

Gohan nodded. "All the time after I beat Cell."

"Why?" asked Pan with frustration.

Gohan frowned, he didn't like those kind of dreams anymore than Pan did. "They were always a reminder of 'what if'. What if I hadn't been strong enough to stop Cell? What if I had failed and let everyone down, let everyone die?"

Pan scowled. "I don't need a nightmare to tell me what could happen if I'm weak. In fact..."

Pan got up, grabbed her Fox Hermit gi from under her bed, and put it on. "I think I'll go train just to prove that point."

"Er... Pan... it's kind of one in the morning. You should go back to sleep," said Gohan.

"Not if I'm gonna have another nightmare like that again," muttered Pan before leaving the room.

* * *

Videl walked over to sit next to Gohan and gave a sigh. "I thought I was going to have a heart attack when she woke me with her power spike and she screamed like that."

Gohan nodded and sighed, rubbing the bridge of his nose. "That's two days in a row now. I think we might have to start getting used to Pan waking us up like that."

"But, at least I got a question of mine answered," he continued.

"What question?" asked Videl.

"I knew how she died, but, I didn't know why," he said with a half smile.

Videl gave him an angry look. "Why the hell are you smiling about her dying?!"

Gohan blanked for a moment before he held up his hands defensively. "That's not what I meant. She died defending someone's life Videl. As much as I didn't want her to die, its relieving to know that's why she went. When I die again, if its not by old age, that's the way I'd choose to go myself."

Videl slowly nodded, her anger pacified. "I guess it wouldn't be a bad way to go."

They both looked up and at the window when they felt Pan begin to power up off in the distance.

Gohan sighed. "Well, we might as well go make some coffee, were not getting back to sleep with her training..."

* * *

Pan threw a first forward, unleashing a shock-wave infront of her. She decided to warm up in her base before pushing to Super Saiyan and Super Saiyan 2. She paused briefly, noticing a hole that had formed in the treeline of the forest she was training in. Ah crap, she had just wrecked a good chunk of the forest with that shockwave. Woops...

Pan floated into the sky and began to re-select her training ground. She wanted to get strong enough to protect the world, not ruin it in the process. She scowled as she flew. They never needed to worry about this on Terra, the world was already ruined. A pang of guilt hit her at the thought.

Pan's flying began to slow as she suddenly became aware of something. She stopped over a city, looking down on it. Silently, she resumed flying, deviating from trying to find a place to train, to just flying around the world like she used to when she was a simple four year old girl. She could feel them all, every single tiny speck of ki, every person in the world. She remembered flying around Terra at Odianna's side, noting how empty the world was without people.

"This is why your training," said Pan to herself, "Earth can't EVER end up like Terra."

Pan picked up speed, going Super Saiyan and blasting across the night's sky until she finally found a large desert. She landed and focused her ki. She still hadn't done it normally yet, ascending to Super Saiyan 2. Every time she had needed a reason, whether it had been to save dad from the Majin, to not be weak infront of Grandpa, or to desperately get Vegeta's approval. Even her nightmare had given her a reason.

The ground around her rumbled, sand kicking up and blowing around her in a cycle as her power peaked at her full strength as a normal Super Saiyan. She ground her teeth, focusing her rage. She was tempted to try to use her memories again, but, the last time she had been training by herself it had proved useless. She could NOT afford her ascending to be triggered by an event each and every time. She needed something else... but what?

She rubbed her chin in thought for a few moments before an idea dawned on her. It wasn't one she liked putting herself through, but, she had a hunch it might work. Strangely enough, it was an idea inspired by her nightmare. If she wasn't strong enough, then people she cared about would die. In a moment, she imagined her mother in Kojin's grip, imagining the bastard snapping her neck and tossing her aside...

A bolt of lightning rolled down her body, followed by another. She focused on the fake image of her mother's dead body. Her hair began to wave back and forth, her power becoming erratic and spiking up and down. Finally, she replayed the image in her mind one more time before giving a scream of rage as she ascended to Super Saiyan 2.

Pan examined herself, remembering the feeling of ascending under her own will and etching it into her memory. It had left a cold feeling in her chest. She did NOT enjoy using her imagination of her mother dying to be a trigger. But, if that's what it took, then that's what it took, and there was a reason she choose to accept it.

Simply put, that image of death could become a reality very easily. All it would take would be Grandpa and Vegeta being off world training with Whis or in the time chamber when a threat appeared. The gap between those two and everyone else on the planet was beyond mind boggling. The closest to them was Mr. Buu, and either Grandpa or Vegeta could beat him with a flick of their finger with some god ki.

She began punching and kicking the air, and as she did, milestones began to fill her head.

First goal: surpass Mr. Piccolo, shouldn't take too long.

Second Goal: surpass Mr. Buu, might take awhile

Third Goal:...

She sat down on the ground, thinking to herself. What would the third goal be? There was no one between Buu and Grandpa or Vegeta in this universe. So, maybe a different kind of goal? How about Super Saiyan 3?

She thought for a moment, mulling over what she knew of the form before frowning. "Do... I even want that form?"

She had to admit, personally she didn't like the ridiculous hair, the huge weird eyebrow ridge, or the voice change. Not to mention, that form had a huge downside with its power drain. It would be a huge short term power burst, but compared to Super Saiyan Blue it...

"Hee hee, why bother with three?" said Pan aloud, a grin crossing her face.

Third Goal: Become a Saiyan God.

She nodded to herself and stood up. Why waste time with an intermediate form when she could just go for the ultimate prize? If she recalled right, Vegeta had never even learned how to go Super Saiyan 3. You didn't need that form to become a god. Just become strong enough to attract Whis's attention, bribe him with some food, and you had a first class ticket to Super Saiyan Blue.

Pan cupped her hands to her side, formed a kamehameha wave, and blew away a sand dune. She aimed a finger at another one and began to release a barrage of Death Beams...

 _ZIP_

Pan was surprised when her Grandpa appeared out of nowhere, become a Super Saiyan, and destroyed each of the Death Beams.

"Umm... hi Grandpa," said Pan, not sure why he looked agitated.

"You know, I kinda forgot I saw you learn Freeza's move when I was in your head. Didn't seem important then," said Goku, his voice stern, "Pan, that move is a penetrating move, that could have carried on for miles and hit someone or destroyed something."

Pan winced. "Oh, woops."

Goku crossed his arms. "Not to mention, why are you even using that kind of move? It's lethal."

"So is the Kamehameha wave," Pan shot back.

Goku raised an eyebrow. "You can hold back enough with the Kamehameha, there's only one use of that kind of move, and it's not a use I approve of."

The veins on Pan's head were beginning to throb in anger. "Why are you here Grandpa? I'm trying to train, not get scolded."

Goku rubbed his eyes. "I'm here because of your training actually. Bulma called, apparently Vegeta is threatening to come out here and, to quote 'beat you unconscious', unless I got you to stop training."

Pan blanked. "Uh... why?"

"Because its almost two in the morning and people are trying to sleep," said Goku with amusement, "You probably woke up everyone in the world who can sense ki."

Pan scratched her head, feeling bashful, and powered down. "Oh..."

Goku powered down as well. "I don't really mind, but, it IS kind of early, we usually don't train at this time of day, even when there's a tournament or some big threat on the way."

"I guess I can meditate or something until everyone's up," murmured Pan.

Goku yawned and stretched. "You ought to go back to sleep. You can train better when your not tired."

Pan scowled. "I'd rather not."

"Why?" asked Goku.

"I can't fight nightmares," she murmured.

Goku studied her for a second before shrugging. "Nope, just gotta deal with em like the rest of us."

Pan raised an eyebrow. "And what do you have nightmares about?"

Goku grinned sheepishly. "Ever wondered what it would be like to get eaten by your own food? I got eaten by a hamburger in one!"

Pan fell onto her back and slapped her own forehead. "Only you Grandpa, only you."

She sat up crossed her legs, and began to float. "I'll see you in a few hours then Grandpa. I'm just gonna meditate."

Goku shrugged. "Okay, if that's what you want."

 _ZIP_

Pan watched her Grandpa go and then gave a sigh. "Mmm, I'm gonna have to meditate for like four or five hours before everyone's up... ugh..."

* * *

 _WHAM_

Pan gave a startled cry as something hit her back and launched her face forward into the desert's sand.

"That, grandbrat, was for waking me up in the middle of the damn night!" came Vegeta's voice.

Pan pushed herself up off the ground, spitting sand out of her mouth and turned to glare at him before mocking, "Well soooorrrryy oh mighty Prince of the Saiyans."

Vegeta glared at her. "Watch your tone with me."

Pan eyed him before glancing up into the sky. It was morning now, guess it was time to start training. She looked back down at Vegeta and smirked. What better way to start than with the Prince?

Pan closed her eyes for a moment before she turned Super Saiyan 2, her grin spreading and turning wicked. She burst from the ground and swung a heavy hit at him. Vegeta caught her first easily, ascending to Super Saiyan 2 as well.

Pan's eyes went wide with glee. She had been right! Vegeta would not hold back like...

 _WHAM_

Vegeta kicked her stomach, launching her up into the air and then flew after her, kicking and punching at a pace she couldn't follow. Pan couldn't manage any kind of defense, the difference in power between their ascended forms was astronomical. Vegeta threw his arms up into the air, connected his hands, and slammed the conjoined fists into Pan's shoulder, knocking her to the ground and half-burying her in sand.

She lost her aura and power, her hair turning back to black, and laid there, cringing. Oh man, soreness, pain, everywhere.

"You know grandbrat, I wasn't actually here to train you. But, if I had to give you a rating on that stupid blatant rush at the start, it would be a one out of ten," mocked Vegeta as he landed in front of her, "Your not fast or strong enough to get away with a stunt like that."

Pan rolled her eyes. "Thanks for stating the obvious."

"Hmph, obvious? I'd say you don't know whats obvious when it stares you in the face. Your not used to that form's power or feeling at all. I dare say with that look on your face when you started, your drunk on its power with your blatant zealotry while in it. We will not 'spar' again till next week. Get some semblance of control with that form before then, otherwise I'll end our session instantly like I did this one, are we clear?" said Vegeta.

Pan nodded slowly. "Yes sir."

Vegeta began to float in the air. "Oh, and don't wake me up in the middle of the damn night again with your training, otherwise I wash my hands of you. I don't care about your momentary bad dream hissy fits, but full fledged training at that time will not be tolerated."

Pan watched him blast off before scowling to herself. Grumpy old asshole, perfect three words for him. Still, he was right. She unburried herself and brushed as much of the sand off her gi as she could before sitting down. She took in a deep breath, let it out, and forced her way back to Super Saiyan 2. She sat there, merely doodling in the sand to pass time. She'd need to master this form just like she did the normal Super Saiyan. Though, since she wasn't dead like last time it would probably take much longer to do so. Oh well, she'd hopefully have a few years before something came up to grow her strength and control...

* * *

Goku watched as Bulma's robots began to quickly build a large structure around Earth's portal to other dimensions. "So... why are you building that again?"

"Because Son-Kun, we can't have random people getting curious and just walking into other dimensions. The only reason I didn't build it when you and the others were gone looking for Pan was so you didn't think you had gone through the wrong portal when you came home," explained Bulma.

"Oh, okay," said Goku, scratching his head.

 _POP_

Goku gave a start when both Omni-Kings suddenly appeared midair and then landed in front of him.

The right one spoke first. "Son Goku, we've been told Pan has been brought back."

Goku nodded. "Yep, shes out training right now if you wana go see her."

The left one shoot its head. "No, were very busy at the moment, we just wanted to drop by to confirm and give a warning."

Their tone became very serious as they spoke together. "From this moment on until we say otherwise, going through the portal to other dimensions is forbidden."

Goku blinked a few times before asking, "Why?"

The right one spoke. "Were in the middle of discussing rules and regulations of dimensional travel. We just took a recess in a meeting between several hundred Omni-Kings. Since its so easy to do so now, more and more keep connecting to our group to ask whats going on, and what happened."

"Son-Kun," said the left, "They are all _very_ mad at you. If we didn't say you were under our protection, one of them would have already come and erased you by now."

A bead of sweat rolled down Goku's face. "Oh, um, thanks..."

The right one pointed a finger at him. "Still, you are on probation Son-Kun. While you may be our friend, if you break this portal rule, we will erase you ourselves, is that clear?"

Goku nodded. "Yeah, its clear."

The left one nodded. "Good, tell your friends and family as well. Dimensional negotiations may take a few years. There are already a lot of disagreements on what kind of travel should be allowed, if at all. As such, you might not see us for awhile."

 _POP_

With that, they two Omni-Kings disappeared without another word.

"Tsaaa, what am I supposed to do till then?" whined Goku.

"Same thing you always do?" said Bulma, "Eat, sleep, train? Except you include Pan since she's not going to school anymore?"

Goku crossed his arms and sighed, pouting a bit. "I guess..."

"Honestly Son-Kun, you should relax at home for a bit after hunting for Pan for a few months," said Bulma.

"I dunno," murmured Goku.

"What's the worse that could happen?" asked Bulma.

* * *

Gowasu, the Kaioshin of Universe 10, sat alone at his table, and sipping tea; he sighed and bowed his head as he had done at least once a day for nearly the last decade. "Zamasu..."

Far behind him, sneaking a look around the partially open door into his domain, was a blue demon woman with long white hair. She had a thin body, and wore a skin tight red suit with a rather revealing area just under her chest. Her bottom half had a black cape as part of her clothes. She studied the Kaioshin silently for a time before backing off and walking away.

She rubbed her chin in thought, speaking to herself. "Well well Towa, I think you've found yourself an ideal target. Unlike the other dimensions, he's alone, and he doesn't appear to get frequent visits by his God of Destruction."

Towa smiled a sinister smile. "Yes, yes and ideal target indeed. Perhaps I should thank the ' _other_ ' Towa for coming to me and enlightening me on time manipulation."

She scowled. "But if that bimbo thinks I'm going to get dragged into her schemes to empower her precious ' _Mira_ ' and get entangled against the Time Patrol, she's got another thing coming. I bow to no one's will, not even another version of me."

She glanced back at the Kaioshin's dwelling. "All it will take is time. I'll work him over slowly, secretly, and finally, when his guard is down, his heart darkened completely with self-doubt, when he summons his time rings, I'll make my move..."

* * *

 _Author's Notes:_

 _I'm going to call it at four parts of the changes chapter. I could keep going on and on, but, until the next major conflict occurs, it's just going to be training and talking. Pan showed her changes, she's shown her reasons, and she has her goals. It's time to move on IMO.  
_

 _I decided to go away from the dimensions for a brief period of time (and hit Timeline(s) instead! So just as big). There is going to be a time skip, followed by this conflict, and then the next major conflict will be right after which will feature the return of dimensions.  
_

 _For those who don't know who our Demon Lady is..._

 _Towa is a character from Dragonball Xenoverse. THIS story's Towa is an OC-ish one from a different timeline that the original Towa attempted to recruit, but didn't succeed. Rather than simply screw with the main timeline and try to leech energy for Mira, this Towa has her own ideas and plans..._


	27. The Demon Ring

_**Potara - Chapter 27: The Demon Ring**_

* * *

 _Three Years Later..._

Gowasu rubbed his tired eyes, feeling exhausted. The weight of his failure with Zamasu had been weighing heavily on his mind as of late. Whenever he thought he had finally gotten over it, the thoughts surged back to haunt him again and again, as if compelled. They kept him up at night, a haunting reminder of his failures.

Gowasu sighed. "It was my sin. I failed you Zamasu. From the moment I met you, to when I didn't stop you from killing that mortal on Babari, to when the Omni-King slew you for your crimes."

Gowasu smiled faintly. "Babari… I wonder. You argued they would never see the correct path. Were you right Zamasu? Or was I right? How long would it take for them to see the light of peace?"

Gowasu snapped his fingers and a ornate box appeared with a thud on the table infront of him. He opened it, revealing one Silver Time Ring, and five Green Time Rings. The silver one represented their own timeline, the green ones represented other timelines. He reached for the Silver Time Ring before a sudden coldness overtook his body, a black aura surrounding him.

"W-what is… going… on?" stammered Gowasu.

A dark chuckle sounded behind him. "It took you long enough you old coot."

* * *

Towa slowly walked infront of the paralyzed kaioshin, savoring the moment she had waited years for; she glanced down at the box, admiring the jewelry. "Ah, so these are _my_ precious time rings."

She reached inside the pox and plucked the Silver Time Ring up before placing it on a finger and concentrating her energy, when nothing happened she smirked. "So, the _other_ Towa was right. They only work for kaioshins."

The demoness smiled wickedly at the kaioshin. "But since when have I given a damn about little rules like that? I'm a demon, breaking rules is what I do."

She wagged a finger, almost seductively, at Gowasu. "Come my pet, we have work to do."

Gowasu rose to his feet against his will and walked away from the table. Towa concentrated her energy, and in a flash of red light, a dagger appeared in her hand. She forced the Kaioshin to stop a bit from the table. She raised her hand, and slit the palm of her hand and clenched her fist. She slowly walked around the Kaioshin, letting blood drip from her hand and make a circle of blood around Gowasu.

She stopped moving, took off the Silver Time Ring, and rolled it in her cut hand. "Bathed in the blood of a demon..."

She put the ring back on, curled her fist, and drove it through Gowasu's chest. "Bathed in the blood of a god..."

A pentagram began to form inside the circle at Gowasu's feet as blood poured down his chest and blood red light shined and enveloped the area. The ground began to shake, the air around them began to moan and scream in agony. Black and red energy began to form around the two of them.

"By _MY_ will shall the chains binding this ring be broken. Reborn will its purpose be with the power of a demon," she began, "Fed shall it be, the power and soul of a god..."

Gowasu began to scream in agony as his body began to crumble into dust and disintegrate. The dust and energy began to circle as if in a vortex before it began to shrink and be consumed by the Silver Time Ring. But as it fed on the soul and energy, its color began to change. Its silvery gleam faded, and a blood red and black color replaced it. With one final cry, Towa poured her power into the ring and linked her own soul to it, binding it to her will.

 _RIPPLE_

A translucent ripple of energy burst from the time ring, breaching time and space, going off in all directions.

Towa held up her hand as the ritual completed, admiring her work. "I call it, a ' _Demon Time Ring_ '. Ah, my greatest creation, so far above that pitiful _Mira_ construct the _other_ Towa created. Why bother trying to mess with the original timeline, when I can just go and create my own? My own beautiful paradise."

She studied her ring for a moment before an annoyed look crossed her face. "Though, it lacks the power to do this as of the moment. I'll need to feed it energy first, an enormous amount of energy. So, lets get started then."

She clenched a fist, aimed the ring, and released a black red pulse of energy that tore a hole in reality. Towa smiled a sinister smile before she slowly strode through the hole, to her destiny...

* * *

Twelve year old Pan gave a war cry, burst to Super Saiyan 2, and rushed at the target of her frustration: the every annoying Gotenks, the most absolutely horrible sparing partner in the world. The fused Super Saiyan easily dodged out of the way before he put his hands to his face, waged them back and forth, and stuck out his tongue at her.

"Naa naa naa! Can't touch me Panny!" teased Gotenks.

"What are you, five? Grow up!" said Pan, aiming and releasing a burst of ki in his direction.

Gotenks dodged to the side before yawning. "You know, I don't even think I needed to go Super Saiyan to beat yo-."

Pan put on a burst of energy and drove her knee into his gut. "What was that?"

Gotenks flew back and spun through the air. "Oh! Now you've done it. Galactic Donut!"

Pan gave a cry as the ring of energy formed around her and closed in, binding her in place, she struggled against the technique and seethed. "Wait until I get my hands on you!"

Gotenks began to retch and appeared to puke up a white blob, and then did it a few times before pointing at Pan. "Super Ghost Kamikaze Attack!"

"Eww eww eww!" screamed Pan, "Don't touch me with those puke blobs!"

The blobs took on Gotenks appearance and began to rush at Pan, laughing gleefully. The girl ground her teeth, focused her energy, and braced herself for impact...

 _RIPPLE  
_

A ripple of translucent energy passed through them. In its wake came screams of torment, penetrating the air. For a brief moment Pan lost all sense of her ki. The Galactic Donut disintegrated. The little Gotenks blobs exploded prematurely. Gotenks himself flashed white and de-fused into Trunks and Goten far before their fusion timer was supposed to expire. The three of them fell towards the ground before they regained their ki and stopped their plummeting.

Pan shivered and struggled to get herself to stop. "W-what the h-hell was that?!"

Goten and Trunks exchanged uneasy looks, Goten spoke first, "Maybe we ought to..."

They all paused, feeling the ki signatures of their friends and family take to the air and began to move.

"Looks like they're heading to Capsule Corp, let's go!" yelled Pan, re-igniting her power and ascending to Super Saiyan 2.

Goten and Trunks did the same and flew at her side as they took off together. Pan eyed the two of them in brief passes, feeling a little jealous. They had both achieved Super Saiyan 2 awhile ago, spurned on by their families. Despite that they didn't train nearly as hard as she did, they weren't honestly that far behind her in power. Especially when they went Gotenks, she didn't honestly stand a chance against that fused menace.

She had to admit it was a bit agitating. She was leaps and bounds stronger than she had been when she first got back home. Last time she had asked Grandpa, he had said she was about as strong as he and Vegeta had been when they had fought eachother as Super Saiyan 2s during the Majin Buu conflict. However, even with such progress, she still hadn't achieved her second goal yet. While she could break even with Mister Buu in a fight, his huge stamina and regeneration always let him win. To be frank, she knew the only reason she could compare to him was because he had lost so much of his power when he had split into good and evil Buus. She still had a long way to go.

Not to mention, her _DAD_ of all people had started training again. He had spent three days in the time chamber with Grandpa a few weeks after she had gotten home. She could readily admit, she had been awed when he had stepped out of the time chamber. Even without his power raised, she had immediately felt the absolutely HUGE difference in base power he had. She had seen him spar with Grandpa and Vegeta as Super Saiyan Blue, and hold his own. It was curious in a way, he could draw out his full power with normal ki without transforming, apparently that had been a gift of an the pervy old Supreme Kai. However, in order to use God ki her father still had to transform into Super Saiyan Blue.

His power growth was infuriating, Pan had wanted to immediately jump in the time chamber herself after seeing her dad's stunning progress, but apparently she wasn't allowed to. They had decided behind her back to not allow her in the chamber without Grandpa permission. No matter how much she begged and pleaded, he refused. He said they would wait until she was older. Something about not wanting her to throw away her childhood and teenage years inside the chamber. It was a crappy reason in her opinion, but, there was nothing she could do about it.

She shook her head and broke her thoughts as they neared Capsule Corp. Something had just happened, something _wrong_. That much she knew, and it was apparent everyone knew that as well. She landed and powered down, Goten and Trunks doing the same. Within the next ten minutes, the group had gathered: Goku, Vegeta, Pan, Goten, Trunks, Buu, Bulma, Tien, Chiaotzu, Uub, Yamcha, 17, 18, Bra, Piccolo, Krillin, Gohan, and Videl. Everyone was in their fighting gi's or clothes, even Gohan.

"Okay, so, did anyone else hear someone screaming when that energy passed through them? asked 17.

There was a collective nod.

"Yeah... that... was something else," said Yamcha nervously, "Anyone got any clues?"

There was silence.

"Did anyone else loose access to their ki for a moment?" asked Pan.

There was another collective nod.

Goku crossed his arms and looked at Vegeta. "Beerus ought to be up by now, ya think? He said a few years would be a good cat nap. Maybe we ought to contact him and Whis?"

Vegeta rubbed his chin. "I'd rather not drag them in unless absolutely necessary."

"As much as I don't want to drag the gods into this," said Piccolo, "Were in the dark as of the moment. I'd rather not wait for something to come and attack us when we could inform ourselves and get ready."

Pan tugged on Grandpa's sleeve. "What about All-Chans? You still have the button, right?"

Goku hesitated. "I... don't know if calling them is a good idea right now. They're probably still in that Omni-King meeting. If we yoinked them out of that, they might get really mad."

"Well I'll do it if your gonna be a chicken," said Pan, starting to fish through her Grandpa's pockets.

"H-hey! Pan! Wait!" said Goku, grabbing her arms.

 _CLICK_

 _POP_

One of the Omni-Kings, the present one, appeared in the air above them. The Omni-King looked around before resting his eyes on Pan and Goku. He landed in front of them and looked up at them, his arms crossed, an almost ill-tempered look on his face.

"All-Chan!" said Pan, stepping forward, "Did you feel that ripple thing?"

The Omni-King frowned at her. "I did, I was in the middle of trying to figure out what it was before you interrupted me."

Pan winced. "I'm sorry, we were just worried about what was going on."

The Omni-King spoke. "I guess it's fine. From what I can tell, it was a ripple in time and space that passed through all of existence that temporarily nullified the energy of everything it touched, even me."

Yamcha gave a start. "Woah woah woah, but aren't you the Omni-King? How could that..."

The Omni-King turned its head. "Quiet."

Yamcha froze and trembled. "S-sorry..."

Goku thought for a moment. "Maybe some of the other gods would have a clue? How about the Kaioshin?"

The Omni-King paused, considering his words. "Kaioshin? Wait... time and space, of course."

The Omni-King snapped his fingers. They all waited, but nothing happened.

The Omni-King looked perplexed. "Why didn't that work? She should have appeared."

"She?" asked Pan.

The Omni-King rose into the air, a blue aura of his godlike power engulfing him. With a cry of power, a tear in space and time appeared and out of it tumbled a small pink Kaioshin. She landed on her butt and winced. She had wavy pink hair, black eyes, and a pair of potara earrings. She bore a pink version of traditional Kaioshin robes, but, only up to her arms and midsection. Above that she had on a gray, skintight cloth. Below her robes were baggy gray pants, and she had on white high-heeled boots.

She rose to her feet and looked around before spotting the Omni-King as he descended, and went into full panic mode. "O-o-omni-king!"

The Omni-King looked at her in confusion. "Chronoa, why didn't you come the first time? You should have immediately answered the summon."

Chronoa looked distressed. "Because I couldn't! Something awful has happened! Toki-Toki City is having a complete meltdown. The scrolls of time have stopped working, Toki-Toki himself looks like he's in a coma! None of our time abilities or time machines are working anymore! We have time-patrollers stuck in all corners of the timestream unable to get back! I can't even contact Trunks or the two Toki-Toki Champions!"

"Time what?" asked Pan with confusion.

The Omni-King looked at her. "Chronoa is the Supreme Kai of Time. I designated her to watch over the flow of time."

"What did you mean by contact me?" asked Trunks.

Chronoa scowled at him. "Not you! The original future you who first went back in time and started the whole time travel mess!"

"Be SILENT," warned the Omni-King.

A deathly silence filled the air as no one dared move or speak.

The Omni-King looked at Chronoa. "Do you have any idea what's going on?"

"W-well, I had started to narrow down the source of the time-space distortion. I believe it was centered around the world of the Kaioshin in Universe 10," replied Chronoa.

"Gowasu?" said Goku in confusion, "What would he have to do with this?"

"I don't know, but we should investigate," said Chronoa, "I have a really bad feeling about all of this."

The Omni-King looked to Goku. "Son Goku, I want you and three of your friends to come with us. Consider this a way to pay me back for your wish three years ago."

Goku nodded. "Okay. Vegeta's obviously going to come..."

"Hmph," was Vegeta's reply, a smirk on his face.

"And I think you should come as well Gohan, it would be a good way to really test how far you've come," continued Goku.

Gohan nodded slowly. "Alright, I'll do it. Who is going to be our fourth? Buu?"

Pan narrowed her eyes, she was NOT going to be left behind. "I'll go!"

Gohan frowned at her and crossed his arms. "Pan, this could be dangerous."

She crossed her arms and glared back at him. "And? I know that! I want to help!"

"Your only twelve years old!" said Gohan, "Your not going and that's final."

Pan glared at him for a moment before a mischievous smile spread across her face. "Hey All-Chan?"

"Yes Pan-Chan?" asked the Omni-King.

"Could I please go? I really want to help you out," said Pan innocently.

"No! Absolutely..." began Gohan.

The Omni-King smiled at Pan. "Of course you can Pan-Chan! I'd really appreciate it."

Gohan smacked his own forehead. "Pan..."

Pan gave him a victorious smile. "Well, I guess its settled. Let's go!"

Vegeta laughed. "Well Kakarot, looks like your Grandbrat has some spirit in her."

Goku shrugged and looked at Gohan. "It'll be fine Gohan, lets get moving."

The Omni-King snapped his fingers and the six of them disappeared.

* * *

Moments later, they re-appeared outside of Gowasu's dwelling.

Pan frowned immediately, the hair on the back of her neck standing up. "Something feels wrong..."

Goku nodded. "You can say that again, brrr, I'm getting chills."

They walked into the building and began looking around. Pan ran over and knelt down near a small ring of blood.

"Something happened here," said Pan, feeling a little nauseous.

Vegeta walked over and looked over her shoulder. "Hmm..."

"AH!" screamed Chronoa, pointing towards the table, "T-t-t-he time rings!"

They all rushed over to it, Omni-King floated onto the table and looked at the box. "One is missing. The main time ring is gone."

"Wait a second," said Goku, "Gowasu showed us these before, they shouldn't look like that, right? They're supposed to be pure green, aren't they?"

Pan peered at the table and into the box. There were 5 sickly green and red time rings in it.

"It's like... they've been tainted," said Chronoa with unease.

The Omni-King touched one of the rings and immediately recoiled, as if stung. "This is..."

The Omni-Kin turned to the blood circle and aimed a hand at it. A flash of light exploded from his hands. In the circle appeared a illusion of Gowasu, it appeared to be bound by some kind of energy. A blue lady began to circle him, dripping a trail of blood around him in a circle.

"Towa!" shouted Chronoa in anger, "Of course she's behind this! I don't know how she came back, but..."

She paused. "Wait no, that's... that's not the same Towa..."

"Be silent and watch," ordered the Omni-King, "Maintaining a time vision is for some reason not as easy as it should be. It's particularly draining, I do not wish to do this again."

They watched, silently, as this 'Towa' completed her ritual. Pan grimaced, feeling horrified and disgusted as the Kaioshin was consumed by the corrupted time ring, the ' _Demon Time Ring_ ' as Towa called it. The vision faded a moment later as Towa walked through a tear in space and time.

"This Towa... she's even worse than the one I had to face," said Chronoa with fury.

"Not even five years, and already, another rule of creation has been broken," said the Omni-King, a primal fury in his voice.

Pan took a few steps back from the Omni-King, a spike of fear rising in her gut.

The Omni-King turned to Chronoa and spoke with deadly authority. "You will take Son Goku and his friends after this 'Towa'. Reclaim and return the tainted time ring to me to be cleansed if possible. If not, destroy her and the ring. That 'Demon Time Ring's' mere existence is destabilizing the control of time."

"B-but, I cant access my powers of time!" exclaimed Chronoa.

The Omni-King raised a hand into the air, blue energy condensing in his hand. With a flash of light, the energy condensed and formed a pure White Time Ring. He handed it to Chronoa.

"This White Time Ring is the most powerful one I have ever created, its power eclipses your normal power by tenfold. It should be able to follow her tear in time and space," said the Omni-King.

Chronoa stared at it in awe before slowly she slipped it onto her finger. "Woah..."

She recovered from her shock and bowed to the Omni-King. "As you will, it will be done."

She rose and put her hands on her hips. "The Time Patrol beat Towa before! With the power of three Super Saiyan Gods and this time ring this Towa doesn't stand a chance!"

Pan scowled. "Guess I don't count for anything."

Chronoa gave her a look. "Oh shush."

Vegeta crossed his arms. "So then, my future son was fighting against this demon woman?"

"Another version of her yes, she was a real pain in the butt," said Chronoa.

"Hmph, well, I guess we will be cleaning up the remainder of his mess then," said Vegeta dismissively.

"Tsaaa, don't needa be rude about it," said Goku.

"Before we go, is there anything you can tell us about Towa that could help us fight her?" Gohan asked Chronoa.

"Well... I know about the other Towa's abilities. She could teleport through time at will, she can artificially amplify the power and take control of people she encounters," said Chronoa.

Vegeta frowned intently. "Like Babidi's magic?"

Chronoa nodded. "Yes. On the fighting side... to be honest, she doesn't really engage in direct combat often. She usually gets others to fight for her. She's conniving and cunning. She's also a scientific genius that could put your wife to shame."

Vegeta scowled. "So she's a schemer and a coward who wont fight us directly, how aggravating."

Chronoa hesitated. "But, I'm not sure how much of all of that applies to this particular Towa. She didn't have her creation Mira with her, if she even created him in her timeline, and, she seemed to be _MUCH_ more versed with demon magic than the Towa I knew. She had to be to pull of a stunt like this."

"So basically, were going in blind," said Vegeta.

Chronoa scratched her head. "I guess. There's also the fact she has this Demon Time Ring. I have absolutely no concept of what kind of powers it might have granted her."

"We will manage, you guys ready? Because I sure am!" said Goku with borderline glee.

"Son Goku, take this seriously," warned Omni-King.

Goku nodded. "Don't worry, I will."

The Omni-King hopped down from the table. "I have to return to the dimension meeting now. When you have recovered the ring and stopped Towa, use the button to summon me again."

 _POP_

With that, the Omni-King disappeared. Chronoa moved around the table and aimed her White Time Ring at the spot where Towa had disappeared, and with a flash of light, a tear in space and time appeared.

"Alright lets go, keep your powers suppressed," ordered Chronoa, "That way we might be able to get the drop on Towa without her running away."

They did as she instructed, and with that, followed Chronoa through the tear...

* * *

 _Author's Notes:_

 _Let the Demon Time Ring arc begin! I suspect this arc will last somewhere around the length of the Terra arc, maybe longer. I already have the end of the arc envisioned, so, its the matter of how long it takes us to get there._

 _FYI: This arc will be particularly dark._


	28. Slaves to the Past

_**Potara - Chapter 28: Slaves to the Past**_

* * *

Pan looked around after entering the tear. She was surprised to see they had entered the exact same place they had just come from, only...

Standing in front of them was a surprised, but living, Gowasu. "Who are you people and what are you doing in my home?"

Chronoa introduced herself, "I am the Supreme Kai of Time, were attempting to track down a demon woman known by the name of Towa."

Gowasu gave a start and bowed deeply to Chronoa. "It's an honor to meet you."

He righted himself and frowned. "Towa you say? The name isn't familiar to me, perhaps my apprentice would know?"

Gowasu clapped his hands. "Zamasu! We have guests!"

Goku and Vegeta gave a start and echoed. "Zamasu?"

Double doors leading deeper into the dwelling opened and out came a green Kaioshin with a white mohawk wheeling a cart with tea on it. Goku and Vegeta immediately tensed. Gohan followed suit. Pan frowned, stretching her senses out to probe the Kaioshin. She knew the story of Goku Black and Zamasu, but, this one didn't feel evil.

Zamasu hesitated, sighting the group of tense mortals. "Have... I done something to offend you all?"

Goku frowned for a moment before relaxing. "No, sorry, you reminded us of someone we had fought in the past."

Zamasu grew perplexed. "You... fought a Kaioshin?"

Vegeta crossed his arms, and spoke, his voice taunting. "A Kaioshin who grew to big for his britches, betrayed his master, and tried to kill all mortals in existence."

Zamasu flinched at those words. "Oh, umm, that is most unfortunate. Though, that seems like a mater gods should have handled, not mortals."

Gowasu turned to Zamasu and motioned to Chronoa. "She is the Supreme Kai of Time and is here attempting to track down someone. Is the name Towa familiar to you?"

Zamasu looked surprised at the name before nodded. "Well... yes... I met her here years ago while you were off on some task."

Gowasu frowned. "You never mentioned this, Zamasu."

Zamasu winced. "W-well, I didn't want to bother you with the insufferable words of that demon."

Gowasu tilted his head to the side and asked. "Insufferable words?"

Zamasu glanced at Vegeta. "I used to wonder about the existence of mortals, whether they had a right to live or not, seeing how they abused their god given wisdom at almost every turn."

Gowasu cleared his throat. "Zamasu we've been over this before..."

Zamasu held up a hand. "But, compared to Demons, mortal's are saints. That demon woman appeared here one day, mocked the will of the gods, even mocked my beliefs as if she knew them. She taunted me about killing you, Gowasu, but when she disappeared and you reappeared later I thought she was merely trying to rile me up."

"Well, she DID kill Gowasu in the timeline we came from," said Gohan.

Gowasu appeared horrified. "I'm dead in your timeline?!"

Zamasu seethed. "Wretched demon woman! Slaying gods and moving through time without permission!"

Pan narrowed her eyes, feeling a dark ki appear within Zamasu. Guess he wasn't as good as he appeared.

Chronoa cleared her throat. "Alright, we know she was here, so lets see about tracking her movements."

Chronoa held up her hand, the White Time Ring beginning to glow. Golden dust began to appear and circle around the Kaioshin of Time. Suddenly, she froze, a shocked look crossing her face, and the dust faded.

"Impossible," she whispered.

"What's wrong?" asked Goku.

"Umm, excuse me Gowasu and Zamasu, I need to talk with my friends, alone," said Chronoa with hesitation.

Gowasu bowed. "Of course, we will await you outside, come Zamasu."

The two of them left.

"Rather than hating mortals, this Zamasu apparently hates demons. I suppose that's an improvement," said Vegeta with amusement.

Chronoa scowled, waving her glowing time ring back and forth in the air. "That's not important right now!"

"This world! This timestream! It's an impossibility! It breaks any and all rules of time!" exclaimed Chronoa.

"What do you mean?" asked Gohan.

"There's no past or future here! Only the present!" exclaimed Chronoa.

Pan cocked her head. "Uh... what?"

"There is literally nothing for me to see in the past or in the future! This timestream, no, its not even a timestream. Its some kind of... timeplane if you will. Its its own plane of existence, it does not have a past it flows from, or a future it flows to. It should not exist, its mere existence is a danger to the actual timestreams," said Chronoa.

"It... it has to be destroyed," said Chronoa.

"Destroyed? But... people live here!" exclaimed Goku.

Chronoa crossed her arms. "I know Goku, but, they shouldn't even exist. If left unchecked it could destabilize and destroy the actual timestreams."

"How exactly would we 'destroy' this timeplane?" asked Vegeta.

"Well, I have an idea on that. This timeplane is a distorted reality, there is some change here that caused it to differentiate between our timeline and what its currently gone through. Find the source of this change and destroy it, and this timeplane should unravel," explained Chronoa.

She held up the time ring and a pulse of energy rippled from it, there came a startled cry from outside as Zamasu yelled, "Why am I glowing gray?!"

"Hmph, well that was obvious. Zamasu being alive and changing the focus of his hatred is the change in this timeplane," stated Vegeta, "So we just destroy him and that fixes it."

Goku crossed his arms. "But... this Zamasu isn't that bad..."

"Kakarot! Did you not hear the woman? This timeplane could destroy our timestream!" said Vegeta furiously, "I will not sacrifice my family for this timeplane!"

A sad look crossed Goku's face. "I still don't like it..."

"Well tough luck Kakarot," said Vegeta, "If your going to be soft and sentimental about it then I'll destroy him myself!"

"But what about Towa?" asked Pan.

"Yes, what about me?" came a voice from above them.

They all whirled around and glanced up to see Towa sitting ontop of the wall, looking down at them with curiosity. "How did you get here? Your not from this time."

Chronoa glared up at her. "We know what you did! You corrupted the main time ring and the five alternate ones! We've been tasked to stop you Towa!"

Towa raised an eyebrow. "AND the alternate ones? I don't remember touching them. Hmm, that's a rather curious development, perhaps they were linked in a way I did not foresee. In that case..."

Towa disappeared and reappeared a few moments later, holding up the ornate box of time rings. "Oh! Just look at my precious time rings! To think I left them behind. Shame on me."

The five tainted time rings floated out of the box, Towa grabbed them and pocketed them. "I'll find a use for them later."

"Grrrr, why in the world did we just leave them on the table?" muttered Chronoa.

Goku stepped forward. "Towa, stop messing with time and give up!"

Towa gave him a studious look. "And who exactly are you?"

"I'm Son Goku!" said Goku.

"Huh, this Towa doesn't appear to know about any of us," said Chronoa.

"This Towa?" echoed Towa before something dawned on her, "Oh! You must be the Supreme Kai of Time my foolish other self was always butting heads with. And these must be members of your 'Time Patrol'."

Vegeta crossed his arms. "We owe no allegiance to her Time Patrol, were here to end this so you don't destroy our timestream!"

Towa frowned. "Destroy the timestream? I'm not fooling around with the main timestream at all. In fact, I went about creating these small blips in time outside of the timestream as to not draw attention to begin with."

"Yeah well good job with that," muttered Pan.

"That Demon Time Ring is disrupting the control of time by its mere existence," said Chronoa, "Do the right thing for once in your life, demon, give up the ring so we can set things right!"

Towa looked irritated. "An unfortunate development, to have drawn such attention. But, oh well. If the other timestreams are destroyed in my quest to create my own perfect world, then its a small price to pay."

"Towa!" shouted Chronoa.

Towa scowled at her. "Stop screeching you little harpy before I put a hole in your throat. Actually, I think I will anyway."

Towa aimed a finger and fired a beam of red energy at Chronoa. Goku turned Super Saiyan Blue and immediately bated it away.

Towa's eyes went wide, a glint of interest in them. "Oh my, is that god ki?"

Goku narrowed his eyes. "This is your last warning lady, give up."

Towa smiled smugly at him. "Your a curious one."

The demoness looked down at Vegeta and Gohan. "Focusing, I can feel that ki within those two as well, interesting."

"Wait a minute, how can she sense god ki?" asked Pan, feeling a little unnerved.

Towa smirked at her, holding up her hand with the Demon Time Ring. "The moment I slipped on my greatest creation, I ascended to a whole new level of existence."

Vegeta and Goku turned Super Saiyan Blue and floated up to levitate next to Goku. Pan did not power up, as much as she wanted to fight, if Towa had god ki, Pan knew she couldn't do a damn thing to her.

Towa smirked and turned to Goku. "I've already leeched off enough energy from this plane of existence. I think I'll do a little investigating of who exactly you and your friends are, then, I'm going to have a bit of fun with you."

Before anyone could move, Towa disappeared.

"Damn coward," muttered Vegeta.

The three of them power down and descended to the ground.

Chronoa crossed her arms. "Hmm, well, now we know a bit more of what were up against at least. We just need to cleanup this timeplane and we'll follow her."

Chronoa led the way outside, the group following her. Gowasu and Zamasu stood there, waiting for them. Chronoa held up her White Time Ring and once again a pulse of energy rippled from it. The moment the energy touched Zamasu he began to glow gray.

"Why am I glowing?" demanded Zamasu.

"Because the sins of your past have caught up with you," warned Vegeta.

Vegeta turned Super Saiyan Blue, aimed a hand, and blew a hole through Zamasu's chest with an energy wave.

Zamasu gave a horrific cry of pain and collapsed to the ground, Gowasu's eyes went with horror and rushed to his apprentices side. "Zamasu!"

Without warning, Zamasu turned completely gray. The grayness began to spread from him, turning the air and Gowasu gray as well and continued to spread. Gowasu did not move, as if he had been petrified. Pan took a step back, wary of what was going on.

"Time shield!" cried out Chronoa before the grayness could reach them.

A bubble of energy surrounded the group as the grayness continued to spread like a virulent plague. Thankfully, the shield protected them.

Chronoa studied the air around them for a moment. "Time... has come to a complete stop on this plane. From what I can sense, this distortion been neutralized. Lets move on then, I can already feel another distortion affecting the timestream."

Chronoa held up her hand with the White Time Ring and energy burst from it, tearing a hole in space and time. Pan took one look around, at the deathly still area around her, before she followed them through it.

* * *

Pan looked around after walking through the portal, her eyebrow furrowing. "Are we... back on Earth?"

"It's Earth, but not the Earth of your timeline," warned Chronoa.

They were on what looked like Mount Paozu, but there was something strange about it. The woods around them were clear cut, each tree was in an orderly line as if it had been planted like that. Pan could see Grandpa's house off in the distance.

"Maybe we should do some investigating?" asked Pan, pointing at the house.

Goku nodded and flew towards the house, the group following behind them.

"Grandma is the only one in there," said Pan, using her ki sense.

Goku knocked on the door and waited.

A moment later, a very disheveled looking Chi-Chi opened the door and wearily spoke. "Hello?"

She took one look at Goku and burst into a horrific rage. "I TOLD YOU NEVER TO COME BACK HERE!"

Goku winced and held up his hands. "Woah, whats wrong Chi-Chi?"

"DON'T YOU WHAT'S WRONG CHI-CHI ME YOU BASTARD!" screamed Chi-Chi, "YOU LET THEM TURN MY BABY INTO A MONSTER!"

Gohan stepped forward. "What do you mean mom?"

Chi-Chi took one look at Gohan and scrambled back, falling on her butt, her screams turning into whimpers, "No! Please! Gohan please! Don't hurt me!"

Gohan stood there, dumbstuck, at a loss. "What in the world is going on in this timeplane?"

Gohan walked forward and knelt down next to Chi-Chi. "Mom, I would never hurt you."

Chi-Chi trembled, looking at him warily, as if looking for a trap before she froze. "Your eyes..."

Slowly, she sat up and reached her hands towards Gohan's face. "Y-your eyes aren't like his..."

"Your... your my baby, my real baby!" said Chi-Chi in disbelief before she burst into tears, "My baby's come back to me!"

"Hmph, lets get her inside and get her to tell us whats going on," said Vegeta.

Chi-Chi gave a start and looked at Vegeta, her eyes going wide. "AHH!"

Chi-Chi scrambled and tried to run away. "No! Not him!"

Gohan grabbed her. "Mom! Wait! None of us are going to hurt you."

Pan watched, feeling awful, as Chi-Chi curled into a ball and started to cry. What in the world had happened to this timeplane's version of Grandma? She was... she was just so broken... it was horrifying to see. Gohan picked Chi-Chi up and put her on a chair before putting his hands on her shoulder.

"Mom, were from an... alternate timeline," said Gohan.

Chi-Chi slowly stopped trembling. "Al...alternate... t-timeline?"

"What happened here mom?" asked Gohan, "You said dad let 'them' turn me into a monster? What happened?"

Chi-Chi glared at Goku. "That bastard over there, I thought I fell in love with a hero, but he turned out to be just a coward! When his brother showed up all those years ago, he caved in. He murdered a hundred earthlings to satisfy his sick brother and took Gohan with him into space!"

Goku looked stricken, horrified. "I WHAT?!"

Goku clenched his fists and shook his head. "No! That's not true! I stood up to Raditz!"

"In our timeline maybe, but obviously not in this one," said Vegeta.

"So, this is what Towa meant by 'having fun with you'," said Chronoa sadly to Goku, "She created this timeplane and probably subtly influenced you just to get at you."

The veins on Goku's forehead bulged in furious anger. "That witch... I don't know if I'm more disgusted with her, or with myself for caving in. How could I do such a horrific thing?"

Chi-chi looked at Goku in shock, and spoke with disbelief. "Hes... your... your him. Your my Goku..."

Goku looked at Chi-Chi sadly. "I'm sorry Chi, this should never have happened to you."

Vegeta scowled. "Stop getting so sentimental. Woman! What happened when Kakarot came back from space?"

Chi-Chi flinched at his words and looked towards him, a bit of fear in her voice. "G-goku returned with you, Nappa, Raditz, and Gohan about five years later. You declared yourself the Emperor of the Universe, the Legendary Super Saiyan, and decided to make Earth the capital of your Empire."

Vegeta raised an eyebrow. "Did I? Hmph, I guess I must have been the one to destroy Freeza in this timeplane and took over the Planet Trade Organization. I'm almost jealous."

Chi-Chi got over her fear and glared daggers at him. "You gloated about it all the time! Your the one who turned my baby into a monster! You made him do purge missions, and my husband was too much of a coward to stop you!"

Gohan paled. "P-purge missions?!"

Vegeta crossed his arms. "So, I got the brats hand's dirty then? Hmph."

"My dad would never kill innocent people!" shouted Pan with disbelief.

Chi-Chi turned sharply to Pan. "Y-your dad?"

Chi-Chi slowly stood up and walked over to Pan, kneeling down. "Y-your... your my grandbaby?"

Pan grew sheepish all the sudden and nodded. "Y-yeah."

Chi-chi hugged Pan as if the hug were life and death. "Oh... oh my... what's your name sweetie?"

"I'm Pan," said Pan.

"So... you... your what I missed because my husband was a coward," said Chi-Chi weakly.

"Raditz and Nappa are alive," said Vegeta, "I assume they are the source of this timeplane's distortion."

"It could be possibly be Goku," said Chronoa with uncertainty.

"There's only one way to find out," said Goku, his voice serious, "Were getting to the source of this, and were setting it right."

Chi-Chi separated from Pan and looked at Goku in awe. "It's... its been so long since I've seen you act like the man I fell in love with..."

"Enough, the sentimental drivel is making me feel sick," said Vegeta, "Let's move."

Chi-Chi grabbed Goku's hands, "Please... please be careful!"

Goku nodded and hugged Chi-Chi. "I will."

The group started to leave before Chi-Chi cried out. "Wait! Your taking my grandbaby with you to fight them?!"

Pan turned and scowled. "I'm a Super Saiyan 2, I can fight."

Chi-Chi looked stricken. "My Grandbaby is one of those monsters?!"

Pan frowned, recalling a memory. "Grandma, its not the power that's evil, its the person who uses it."

Chi-Chi stood there, at a loss for words. The group waited for a moment before taking to the air and flying off. Goku flew at the front, picking up speed. Pan gulped, she could feel anger radiating off Grandpa. This was one of the few times she had ever seen him seriously angry. It was not something she liked to see.

"Kakarot, what are you doing you fool?" demanded Vegeta.

Goku glanced back at him, looking annoyed. "Doing? I'm going to set this right!"

"Right? Kakarot you idiot! Your letting yourself get involved and attached with this timeplane's problems. The moment we destroy the source of the distortion, this timeplane ends. There is no setting this right!" yelled Vegeta.

Chronoa nodded. "He's right Goku."

Goku slowly came to a stop, a pained look on his face. "..."

"If you get invested into this, its going to destroy you Kakarot, that's obviously what that Towa woman wanted," warned Vegeta, "Now keep your power down and fly with the rest of us. I want to keep a low profile until we figure out how strong our counterparts here are."

Goku nodded and spoke quietly. "Alright Vegeta."

Pan flew behind the group as they moved. She felt awful, recognizing just what Vegeta had meant. No matter what they did, it would never fix what had happened here. All they could do was put a stop to it and stop things from getting worse by putting an end to this timeplane. Pan felt a tinge of righteous anger, how dare Towa, how dare she create this timeplane just to twist her family and make them suffer! That demoness would pay!

But wait a second...

"Somethings weird about this," said Pan, "We weren't more than a few minutes behind her and suddenly all of this happened? How'd she know what to change in the past that fast?"

"There is no past in these timeplanes," said Chronoa, "She's probably lived through the entire thing and choose that exact moment to interfere with."

"But... how did we suddenly get to now if she created this timeplane only a few minutes ago?" asked Pan.

Chronoa was silent for a minute. "I... don't actually know."

Pan rolled her eyes. This so called Supreme Kai of Time had absolutely no clue what was going on. She wouldn't be surprised if the Kai was guessing with half of this crap. That pissed her off, did these timeplanes even have to be actually destroyed? Was the kai one hundred percent certain of the danger they posed? The Kai was playing with the lives of countless people by ordering these timeplanes destroyed.

"I feel five powers off aways," said Goku.

Vegeta nodded. "One is me, one is you, I suspect the other three are Gohan, Nappa, and Raditz. Guess were lucky they are all together."

Pan pressed out her senses. "But... none of them really feel like dad."

"Pan, if this version of me did even half the things I think he did, then he's not going to," said Gohan, his voice weary, "I'm not looking forward to this."

"I doubt they'll be a challenge if what I'm sensing is right," said Vegeta dismissively.

Goku suddenly came to a stop, causing them all to nearly crash into him. "..."

"Grandpa?" asked Pan

Suddenly they felt it, the huge spiking of ki off in the distance. Two of the powers were... either fighting to the death or sparing very violently. The ground began to descend to the ground and crossed the rest of the distance on foot. They were in a barren wasteland that looked like it had been destroyed over and over again. They did what they could to hide behind broken boulders as they slowly inched their way forward, step by step until finally, Pan saw them.

Standing with his arms crossed was a rather menacing looking Vegeta in armor with a blue cape. At his side was an old looking bald Saiyan with a mustache who also had his arms crossed. A few feet from them was a third saiyan in armor, this one had an absurd amount of hair on him. From what Pan remembered of the descriptions of the Saiyan invasion Grandpa and his friends had fought, the bald one was Nappa, and the hairy one was Raditz. But they weren't the most conerning ones out of the group...

Fighting in an area infront of them was another Grandpa who appeared to be a regular Super Saiyan, dressed in Saiyan armor, fighting him was... was... a sickening version of her father. Even being near him made Pan's stomach feel violently ill. The Super Saiyans Pan had fought on Terra, and Kojin, none of them compared to the raw ' _evil_ ' Pan felt emanating from her father's double. Pan had to clenched her fists tight to her body to stop herself from trembling as she gave him a once over.

Unlike the others, he wore no Saiyan armor. He had on a pure black gi with a red cloth wrapped around his middle. His hair was the same as her father's, but his face was heavily scarred. His eyes shone with a complete ruthlessness and malice as he rushed at the Other Son Goku.

"Come on ' _Father_ '!" mocked the Other Gohan as he slammed a fist deep into the Other Goku's stomach.

The Other Goku gave a cry and fell to his knees, his hair turning black, blood leaking out of his mouth.

The Other Gohan walked over and smashed a fist into his face, knocking him to the ground. "Worthless and a disappointment as always. Are you ever going to ascend? I doubt it. I should have let Majin Buu kill you and save me the frustration of seeing your pitiful ass alive."

Gohan murmured with disbelief, peering around a boulder, "Look, he's not transformed but he has that power. He received the elder kai's gift, but, why would the kai give it to someone so evil?!"

Vegeta whispered back, "Help him or let Majin Buu run rampant, the kai probably choose what he thought was the lesser evil."

The Other Gohan stalked forward, a savage grin on his face before he grabbed the other Goku and held him in the air before looking to Vegeta. "So then, are we ever going to kill him? Or do we just keep him around as a punching bag? Doesn't really matter to me either way."

The Other Vegeta smirked. "Well that depends, will he beg today like always? If he does, he may live, as it is always so amusing, if not, you can kill him."

The Other Gohan threw the Other Goku to the ground and stomped on his back. "Well? Let's hear it ' _old man_ '."

The Other Goku cried out in agony. "G-Gohan! Please stop!"

The Other Gohan sneered at him and kicked him away. "Pitiful as always. I really do wish Vegeta was my father in blood more than in name. Anyway, now that my ' _visit_ ' with father is over, perhaps I should go say ' _hello_ ' to mother? What do you think Vegeta? I ought go give her a slap before the next purge?"

The Other Vegeta smirked. "Do as you will."

Pan trembled in rage. The ground at her feet began to rumble. HOW! How could such a monstrous version of her father exist?!

"Pan!" hissed Gohan, "Keep yourself in control."

"But first!" called out the Other Vegeta, "Whomever is hiding being those boulders ought to reveal themselves lest I grow angry."

Pan winced as Gohan glared at her.

"Hmph," said Vegeta, "Don't be mad at your brat Gohan, its not like we need to hide."

The group strode out and stood a ways away from the group of Saiyans.

Nappa glanced back and forth between the Vegeta's. "Uh... are these some android lookalikes or something?"

"No you oaf," both Vegeta's shouted at him.

The two Vegeta's exchanged glances before Vegeta motioned to his counterpart, "By all means, he's ' _your_ ' advisor and bodyguard."

The Other Vegeta smirked at him with amusement before glancing at Nappa and scowling. "You can feel their ki you brainless buffoon. Their Kakarot and me feel almost exactly like we do. They are either clones, or us from another, strange timeline."

Vegeta raised an eyebrow. "I'm surprised your aware of timelines."

The Other Vegeta sneered at him. "Well when my half-breed brat came back in time and tried to kill me, I made it my business to know."

Vegeta frowned. "Trunks? Hmph, remembering my own future son, I suppose I shouldn't be too surprised he had it in him to try and kill you."

The Other Vegeta grinned. "Try being the correct word. He ended up a bloodstain on my boot, as did the infant version of him in my time."

"Enough," said Vegeta before turning to Chronoa. "Which one of them are the distortions?"

Chronoa held up her hand and energy rippled from her White Time Ring. A gray aura appeared briefly around Raditz and Nappa, much to their confusion. Pan was a little surprised, with how different her ' _father_ ' was, she would have thought he would be a distortion.

Vegeta nodded slowly. "As I thought. I'll deal with those two myself, the others aren't worth the effort."

The Other Gohan looked back at Raditz and Nappa for a moment. "Uncle and the idiot, you two are sitting this out."

Raditz looked displeased. "Excuse me Nephew? I am a Saiyan Warrior! I back down from no challenge!"

The Other Gohan glared at him, causing Raditz to suddenly back away with fear. "Unlike you brainless idiots, I have an idea of what they mean by distortion and why he wants to kill you two without fighting us. You two are not to fight unless absolutely necessary. Vegeta, keep them alive, I'll handle this."

Gohan crossed his arms. "Guess I still studied in this timeplane."

The Other Gohan turned started forward. "So, whose first to die? You can come all at once, or one by one, it doesn't matter to me."

"Hmph," said Vegeta, cracking his knuckles, "This won't even be a warmup..."

"Hold it Vegeta," said Goku, a serious tone in his voice.

Vegeta turned his head and scowled. "What is it Kakarot? I'm not interested in wasting time here when we could be pursuing Towa."

The Other Gohan stopped all the sudden, giving Goku a once over. "Well well well, was it just me or did I hear some spine in your voice ' _dad_ '? I'm rather surprised, its such a foreign sound coming from you."

"I'll deal with you in a moment ' _Gohan_ '," said Goku, anger in his voice, "But first, I have something to say to the other me."

The Other Gohan crossed his arms and began to tap his feet. "Make it quick, I have a sudden urge to _kill_ you that I don't think I'll be able to suppress for much longer."

Goku burst into Super Saiyan 2 and bum rushed the Other Goku, picking him up and slamming him into the ground. "WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU?"

Pan took a step back in surprise. She... she had never seen Grandpa so angry in all of her life...

"Chi-Chi told me what you did! You murdered innocent people because you were too much of a coward to fight Raditz!" yelled Goku.

The Other Goku said nothing, he merely averted his eyes, shame on his face.

The Other Gohan began to laugh. "Even another version of him knows how much of a waste of space he is. I _almost_ don't want to kill him, he'd make such an improvement over the one on the ground."

Goku ignored the Other Gohan and glared down at the Other Goku. "I'm not stupid. The only way my friends would have let you murder innocents was over their dead bodies. You betrayed them, you betrayed everyone! You let Gohan be twisted into that _**THING** _ over there! How could you? How could you be so spineless?"

"I... I had no choice... Raditz would have killed Gohan if I hadn't...," whispered the Other Goku weakly, "I did it for my family..."

"Your family?" said Goku in disbelief, "Your family would have rather died than see you fall like this. I would have, and DID die, rather than let Raditz win. Your true son would have rather died than be turned into that beast."

The Other Gohan spoke in a mocking tone, "I enjoy my life immensely I'll have you know. Slaughtering the heroic types you look to be is one of my favorite pastimes."

Goku lifted the Other Goku up and pointed towards Gohan and Pan. "That over there is the life you could have had, a good man as a son, and a wonderful granddaughter."

He then pointed to the Other Gohan and then the three Saiyans. "This instead is what you get, and what you deserve."

Goku cast him to the ground and turned his back, walking away and back over to stand a ways in front of the Other Gohan.

The Other Gohan crossed his arms and glanced at Pan. "I couldn't help but hear, that little wench is my child?"

Pan glared at him and then pointed towards her father. "I'm not YOUR child! I'm his! Your a mockery of everything you should be!"

The Other Gohan grinned and licked his lips. "You know kid, I've always wondered what it would feel like to kill my own family. I guess I'll be finding out soon enough."

Pan couldn't help but take a step back, struggling to control a wave of fear and nausea.

Goku glared at him. "And you Gohan, how could you let yourself..."

"Oh shut up," said the Other Gohan with distaste, "I had to hear enough of that the first time I went home to ' _mother_ '. I couldn't hit her through the wall fast enough to shut her up."

Goku clenched his fists in anger. "Your sick and twisted. Of all the monsters I've encountered, there are VERY few who can come close to making my stomach turn as much as you do."

The Other Gohan bowed. "I'm flattered, and appreciate your approval."

"How many innocents Gohan? How many did you murder!" demanded Goku.

The Other Gohan righted himself and grinned savagely. "To be frank, I stopped keeping a tally after my twentieth purge. But that's in the past, I'd rather focus on the here and now. I think I'm going to enjoy this. Your power as a Super Saiyan 2 is impressive, I might work up a sweat."

"Gohan!" called out the Other Vegeta, "He'd holding back!"

The Other Gohan grew annoyed. "I'm aware, don't spoil my fun Vegeta."

The Other Gohan grinned at Goku. "You can go Super Saiyan 3, right? You want to warm up or shall we go full force from the start?"

"Feel free," said Goku, his voice ice.

"HAAAAAAAAAA!" roared Gohan, half crouching, clenching his arms.

Pan staggered back and fell onto her butt as energy ripped out of the Other Gohan and skyrocketed. Her eyes went wide with shock and horror as his power continued to climb. It was _enormous_ , Pan couldn't even wrap her mind around it. His ki was so far higher than even her father and Grandpa's were when they sparred without god ki.

"Damn," swore Vegeta, "So THIS is what Gohan could have been if he devoted his life to fighting and training instead of his damn books."

Slowly, the Other Gohan's power leveled and he glanced at his counterpart. "Did I hear that right? Books? You actually let our harpy of a mother force you to become a scholar? Pitiful."

Gohan didn't reply, Pan looked up at him, noting a nervous bead of sweat roll down his face, her father whispered quietly, "Is that... my real potential? He doesn't even have access to god ki and he's that strong. It's unreal..."

Pan could only nod fearfully in agreement. There was only one reason she wasn't flipping out right now. While his ki was gigantic, she could still feel it. Which meant, he wasn't a god.

Goku narrowed his eyes. "I'll admit Gohan, I'm impressed. If I fought you as a Super Saiyan 3, you'd kill me easily."

The Other Gohan raised an eyebrow. "You so readily admit it, yet, you don't seem afraid. Is this the part where you start giving a speech about how you wont give up and you'll do whatever it takes to stop me?"

Goku slowly shook his head and then turned Super Saiyan Blue. "No, I'm just going to put an end to this."

The Other Gohan frowned, studying Goku. "Blue hair? No ki? Curious. What is this? Super Saiyan 4 or something?"

Goku didn't respond, he merely stood there, staring down his false son.

The Other Gohan unleashed a burst of ki at Goku who merely slapped it aside with ease.

The Other Gohan grinned wickedly. "Glorious. I haven't had a real challenge since Majin Buu!"

The Other Gohan took a step forward, as if to begin to charge, before he froze. Pan blinked, not even seeing a blur as Goku closed the distance and buried his fist into his false son's chest. Rather than crumple as Pan thought he would, The Other Gohan staggered back, wincing painfully. Suddenly, he burst forward and slammed a leg towards Goku. Goku blocked, and a shockwave erupted from him.

Goku frowned intently. "It's a good thing you don't have god ki, otherwise Beerus would probably be out of a job."

Goku struck three times. One to the face. One to the chest. And one kick to send the Other Gohan crashing to the ground. Pan was shocked to see the Other Gohan slowly pick himself back up. This was unreal, he wasn't a god, but he was still taking heavy hits from one and getting up.

The Other Gohan spit blood and wiped blood away from his mouth. "god ki eh? So your what, a Super Saiyan God?"

"I am something you will _never_ be," said Goku before he disappeared.

He reappeared and backhanded the Other Gohan to the ground. "I pity you Gohan. I pity that you never got the chance to live your real life because your father was such a coward."

"Shut, up!" hissed the Other Gohan, rising to his feet once more.

Goku knocked him to the ground again. "I'm not even going to suggest you trying to turn your life around. Scum like you would never take that second chance. If this timeplane wasn't going to end, so help me, I'd send you to the afterlife to get what you deserve!"

Pan gulped. "Grandpa is really, really mad..."

Vegeta scoffed. "I warned him not to get involved and attached to this timeplane's problem. He should have just let me kill Raditz and Nappa and end it, but no, he had to go get himself riled up. To be frank, I don't think he's mad at Gohan, more likely he's mad at himself."

"But, I'll show you one act of mercy, more than you probably ever gave anyone," said Goku to the Other Gohan.

He aimed his hand and shot out two blasts of ki that engulfed Raditz and Nappa before the Other Vegeta could react. The spots where they had been turned gray and began to spread rapidly, consuming the Other Vegeta. Goku cast his false son towards the oncoming end of time and flew back over to Chronoa who put up a time shield around them.

"So Kakarot, feel better?" mocked Vegeta.

Goku slowly shook his head, a discouraged look on his face. "No. Supreme Kai of Time, please take us out of here. I can't stand being here any longer."

Chronoa nodded quietly and held up her hand. Light eminated from her White Time Ring and in a flash, they were gone.

* * *

 _Author's Notes:_

 _Thus ends the first real dip into Timeplanes. This chapter should lay the groundwork and the feeling of how the rest of this arc is going to pan out. It will NOT be a pleasant experience for any of them.  
_

 _TBH, I'm not sure if Timeplane is the right word to use. If anyone has a better idea, please offer it and I can replace it._


	29. A Hint of the Future

_**Potara - Chapter 29: A Hint of the Future**_

* * *

Pan looked around as the group once again appeared in another world. It looked to be another Earth again. They were at Mount Paozu, only this time, the mountain was completely barren of trees. There were weird alien-like structures covering it evenly spaced out.

"Hmph, those look like Planet Trade Organization warehouses, wonder what the witch changed in this one," mused Vegeta.

Pan frowned and stretched out her senses. "A lot of the ki signatures I feel don't seem human..."

"Because they're not, Earth is most likely occupied," said Vegeta, "Which is curious. Usually we just cleared a planet to make it ready for sale. Earth would have sold for an absurd amount of currency. Why bother with an occupation?"

Goku crossed his arms, looking annoyed. "Hey Vegeta, you feel that? To the north..."

Vegeta cocked his head for a moment before scowling. "Freeza, how many times do we have to deal with him in one lifetime?"

His scowl turned into a grin. "Then again, I wouldn't mind actually getting to kill him for once."

"Hmm, I don't know whether I should be excited or not to actually see the guy that made you first go Super Saiyan Grandpa," said Pan.

Goku shook his head. "He's rotten Pan, he's nothing to admire or get excited about. In fact, I think he's the original Freeza, not the revived one. His power is weak, there's no way he can even go gold."

Pan scowled. "Aww."

"Lets just get this over with, the less time we have to spend dealing with Freeza, the better," muttered Gohan.

"That bad dad?" asked Pan, curious.

Gohan went silent for a moment. "Well... lets just say our fights against him were a bit more rough than we told you."

Pan gave him a dirty look. "I gotta get you guys to give me the real details on what happened in the old stories. I'm not a little girl anymore, I can take it."

"Hmph, were kind of busy grandbrat, another time," said Vegeta.

Pan rolled her eyes and followed in behind them as they flew through the air. She couldn't help but notice they weren't even bothering to mask their power. She thought for a moment. Didn't they used to say all the bad guys they fought in the old days couldn't sense energy or something like that? Pan nodded to herself, good, she didn't exactly like sneaking around. She preferred the frontal in your face approach.

Pan watched a tiny ship on the ground slowly get bigger in the distance until they finally arrive. It was on the ground, circular in ship. It almost looked like a weird doughnut in her opinion. She looked down at the entrance to the ship as the group came to a stop. Sitting in a floating kind of chair was a horned alien that looked like Zeroes and Frost in their first forms. Pan figured her was Freeza, his presence sure felt foul enough to be. However, standing in front of him was her Grandpa, once again in Saiyan armor. Both of them seemed oblivious to the group floating high up in the air.

The veins on Goku's head began to bulge and anger flashed across his face. "You've got to be kidding me. There is NO way I'd ever serve Freeza!"

Pan looked down at the Other Goku, feeling a little puzzled. "He... doesn't really feel like you."

Goku looked at her for a moment before glancing down, studying the Freeza and his double.

Vegeta gave a small laugh. "I think I know what's going on. Kakarot, Towa is mocking you."

Goku raised an eyebrow. "Mocking me?"

"Watch and you'll see," said Vegeta.

Vegeta descended to the ground. "Freeza!"

Both Freeza and the Other Goku gave a start and stared at him in disbelief.

Freeza stared at him for a few moments before scowling. "Vegeta, there's a sight I haven't seen in years nor wanted to. I dare say I must either be hallucinating or you've somehow come back from the dead."

Vegeta smirked. "Neither, but I'll deal with you in a moment. I have a bone to pick with your _captain_."

The Other Goku grinned. "So Vegeta, back for another round after I sent you to the afterlife? Well, I hope your prepared to once again face..."

The Other Goku stood on one foot, cross his leg, put one arm under his armpit, and thrust his other arm into the air before shouting, "...the illustrious Captain Ginyu!"

The group stared down at him for a moment before Goku smacked his own forehead. "You've got to be kidding me..."

"Ginyu?" Pan asked.

"He's a guy that temporarily stole your Grandfather's body on Namek before we fought Freeza," explained Gohan, shaking his head slowly with disbelief.

Pan scowled and looked down on Ginyu-Goku. "Dirty body snatching thief."

"Of all the horrors," said Goku with chagrin, he actually looked rather humiliated, "Having my body do those ridiculous poses all these years, just awful. I feel sorry for the other me that must have been watching this from the otherworld."

Vegeta cracked his knuckles. "So, you killed me on Namek? I find that hard to believe."

Ginyu-Goku gave him a puzzled look. "Hard to believe? What, did you come back delusional? I broke your neck you damn monkey!"

"You mean like how I just broke yours?" said Vegeta, a sneer on his face.

"How you wha-," began Ginyu-Goku.

Pan watched as Vegeta surged forward, grabbed Ginyu-Goku's head, and snapped his neck before throwing him to the ground. She winced at the sight, even if he wasn't really Grandpa, she didn't like seeing someone who looked exactly like him being brutalized like that.

Vegeta put a boot on Ginyu-Goku's back and drove him into the ground. "Don't be glum Ginyu, your not dead yet, I'm going to let you hear your master break before I put you down."

Freeza didn't seem particularly fazed. "Mmm bravo Vegeta. Ginyu has been annoying me as of late, I suppose you did me a service. But, to think you could break me? Ho ho ho that's amusing."

Vegeta gave him a wicked smile. "Oh Freeza, you have no idea how much I'm going to enjoy this."

Pan winced as the screams of agony started. She thought she was hardened to this sort of thing after going through the Saiyan mess on Terra, but, she couldn't help but look away from the grizzly scene happening below. She wasn't sure she would ever dare to piss Vegeta off again.

"Jezz Vegeta," muttered Goku, "I guess he had a lot of pent up hatred he never got to dish out on Freeza when he came back gold. Hmm, Bulma was there, probably didn't want her to see something like this."

Five minutes of pain, bone's breaking, and limbs being ripped off later Pan felt Freeza's life force give away.

Vegeta scolded the corpse and kicked it away, "Pathetic, that's all you could hold out for? Bah, I should of made you transform first."

Vegeta floated up towards them. Pan wasn't sure what scared her more; what Vegeta had just done, or the huge smile on his face.

The man turned to Goku. "So, do you want to finish off the body snatcher or should I?"

"Well...," began Goku.

Vegeta immediately turned and blasted Ginyu-Goku. "To late. To think, I got to kill Freeza and Kakarot, kind of, in one day. Oh, old dreams finally fulfilled. What do humans call it? A mid life crisis? A mid life fulfillment is more like it. Anyway, lets go."

Chronoa put a barrier up as time began to stop on the timeplane. "How'd you know he was the distortion?"

Vegeta scoffed. "Wasn't it obvious?"

Goku crossed his arms and gave Vegeta a look. "Was that really necessary Vegeta?"

Vegeta laughed. "Yes, yes it was."

Gohan shook his head. "Lets just get out of here."

Chronoa frowned. "I... don't feel another distortion..."

"Well, that's because I haven't made one yet," came a voice behind them.

They group spun to see Towa floating a ways behind them, wrapped in a red bubble of energy protecting her from the frozen time around them.

"So Goku, did you enjoy the last two worlds? I hand picked them for you. This one was a light jab, oh but the first one, did you love what happened to you and your son?" said Towa slyly.

Goku narrowed his eyes, Pan could tell he was struggling to keep his anger in check. "Towa, what did you do to me in that world?"

Towa shrugged. "I momentarily weakened your will for one brief moment, nothing more, nothing less. Funny to see how an oh so ' _great warrio_ r' like yourself could never recover after that. Everything else that happened in that timeline was through your own will, or rather, your lack of it."

Goku clenched his fists, momentarily looking away with shame on his face. "..."

Pan turned to Chronoa. "Can we just blast her now?"

Chronoa shook her head. "We break this bubble, and time will stop for us too."

Towa laughed. "I like the girl's attitude. Perhaps I'll go easy on her when the time comes."

Pan stuck her tongue out at her. "Shove it bimbo! Seriously, who dresses like that?"

Towa glared at her. "Excuse me? I'll have you know this is staple demon-fashion! The best and most alluring clothes a demon can wear. Hmph, not something I'd expect a little mongrel like you to understand."

"Pan, don't goad her," murmured Gohan.

Vegeta floated towards the front of the the shield. "What's your aim with all of this witch? Crafting these last two worlds was petty."

Towa shrugged. "Well, I took a trip through the main timestream first to see your pasts before I made them, but don't mistake my intent with those worlds. Merely by existing these worlds feed energy into my Demon Time Ring. I don't have a particular need to shape them, I merely altered them for my own amusement."

She looked at them, almost hungrily. "Oh, there's so many ways I can twist your pasts and create visages of worlds to make you all suffer. If you wish to get in my way, I'm going to enjoy this, immensely."

She gave Vegeta a warm smile. "Though, based off that beautiful bloodshed I just saw, you seemed to rather enjoy this last world. You know, I could also easily offer you all your own paradises instead if you would but stand aside."

"Oh? Taking requests are we?" said Vegeta with interest.

"I might be," said Towa seductively.

"Vegeta...," began Chronoa in an angry tone.

"Quiet woman," barked Vegeta.

"I'll 'consider' your offer if you grant me a request," said Vegeta.

Pan frowned, studying Vegeta. There was no way he was actually going to help the demoness, what was he playing at by going through with this?

Towa leaned forward. "And what, dear prince, is your desire?"

Vegeta grew quiet for a moment before speaking. "I want to see my father. I wish to see my birth-world, what would have happened to it if Freeza had been stopped from destroying it."

A sad look crossed Goku's face. "Vegeta..."

"Quiet Kakarot, do not deny me this," warned Vegeta.

Towa studied Vegeta, mulling over his request. "Hmm, so, you wish to see your father and your people? That could be arranged. I suppose I could let Goku see his father as well, after all, considering the circumstances of Planet Vegeta's destruction, Bardock would be best fit to stop Freeza with a bit of a power boost."

Goku frowned. "I'm not interested. If he was like the rest of the planet purging Saiyans, I'd have nothing to say to him."

"Hmph, that's your choice. Still, Bardock would be the best bet I suppose. I suppose I can't help but wonder myself how he would have turned out with that power of his had he survived...," began Towa.

She paused, a shocked look on her face. "His power..."

A wicked grin spread across her face. "My my my, Vegeta I think I will readily grant your request for giving me a brilliant idea. I don't even care if you actually follow through with backing down or not."

With a blink, Towa vanished into thin air.

A nervous bead of sweat rolled down Chronoa's face. "I don't get it. There's no way Bardock's power could actually help her, could it? It would be limited to his timeplane... right?"

Pan looked at her. "His power?"

Chronoa looked troubled. "Bardock received a ' _curse_ ' in retribution for purging a planet, to be able to see the future. He saw the destruction of Planet Vegeta and tried to stop it, only to die to Freeza, kind of. The original Towa I had to deal with sort of dragged him through time to try to use him like this Towa wants to. To be honest, he's still somewhere in some timestream and I have no clue where."

Vegeta raised an eyebrow. "Curious."

He scowled. "Alright woman, get us moving."

Chronoa turned and stamped on his foot. "VEGETA! This isn't a game!"

Vegeta frowned at her. "I'm aware. With her being able to teleport at will like that, we need to catch her with her guard down in order to actually stop her."

"Oh really? So that request of yours just 'happened' to be the best way to do that?" asked Chronoa scornfully.

Vegeta scoffed. "Of course not. I'm not just helping you out of 'goodwill'. Aside from saving my own skin and my family, if I can get something out of this, I will. What my life could have been has always been a nagging thought in the back of my mind. I would see that thought answered and snuffed out before that witch dies and we return home."

Chronoa slowly shook her head. "Vegeta... I really hope you didn't just screw us with that idea of yours. If Bardock's power can actually help Towa, this could become a disaster."

"To late to complain now," said Gohan, "Let's go and get it over with."

Chronoa sighed, raised her hand into the air, and they disappeared in a flash of light.

* * *

Pan looked around as they appeared on a red rocky landscape. She winced momentarily as the gravity weighed down on her before she recovered and slightly increased her power to compensate.

Vegeta took a few steps forward, breathed in, and slowly breathed out. "Hmm, home."

"Is it how you remember, Prince Vegeta?" called a voice.

The group turned to see an older man who looked almost exactly like Goku sitting on a rock with his arms crossed staring at them. He wore Saiyan armor, but unlike the versions Pan had seen, it was green and had no shoulder pads, letting his muscular arms hang out unhindered. Across his cheek he bore a nasty scar. Wrapped around his head slightly under his hair was a blood red band of cloth.

Vegeta crossed his arms. "It is. So you must be Bardock."

Bardock nodded. "I am."

Pan stared at him curiously, so he was her great-grandpa? She stretched out her senses, for a planet purger he didn't feel that evil.

"You seem to be aware of who we actually are," said Gohan, "It's as if you were waiting for us."

Bardock nodded again. "I am and I was."

Pan looked him over a second time before noticing something and exclaiming. "He has one of the time rings on!"

The group gave a start and looked at his hand as he held it up, on one of his fingers was a tainted green-red time ring. "Yeah, I do. Towa gave it to me to amplify the power of my visions. She forgot to take it back after she flipped out and left."

Chronoa crossed her arms. "Flipped out?"

Bardock grinned. "Let's just say she didn't like the future I revealed, so she's re-evaluating."

"And what did you see?" asked Chronoa.

A serious expression crossed Bardock's face. "Supreme Kai of Time. In the original flow of things had I refused to answer either your or Towa's questions, two worlds from now, you would have attempted to stop Towa from escaping by using the White Time Ring. She would have fought you by using the power of the Demon Time Ring. Both rings would have detonated during the struggle and literally ruptured time itself."

Chronoa gave a horrified shriek. "R-r-ruptured time?!"

Bardock nodded. "You and Towa would die. My family and the prince would have been stranded until the Omni-Kings would have been forced to erase all of time and start over to fix the whole mess. Do. Not. EVER. Use that ring directly against the Demon Time Ring, are we clear?"

Chronoa's face had gone pale. "Y-yes..."

Bardock rubbed the bridge of his nose. "Vegeta, if your going to go see the planet, now's the time, I'll wait to discuss a few serious matters until you get back."

Vegeta looked conflicted for a moment. "Give me a run down of my life."

"You rule the Saiyan race, you have a wife and three children. Your father's an old cripple serving as your adviser after you killed Nappa for being an idiot. Your a bit more ruthless and act a bit more Saiyan, but honestly your not that much different than you are now. I suppose the biggest key difference is that you just tend to blast people who piss you off rather than yell at them," said Bardock.

Vegeta smirked at that. "So, everything I ever imagined?"

Bardock shook his head. "Not quite. You don't have even one percent of the power you hold now."

Vegeta turned sour instantly. "Pah, not even close to worth it then. Forget this world, get down to business Bardock."

Bardock gave a small laugh before slowly shaking his head. "With this time ring on, I can see timestreams that could be with just a thought and a question of 'what if'. I've had decades to peer through countless possibilities. I've been... practicing this scenario we find ourselves in for the last month, wondering exactly what I should say, what timestream I should even direct things down, if at all. Ultimately, I've decided to give all of you one warning or suggestion each, I already gave Towa and The Supreme Kai of Time theirs."

Chronoa crossed her arms. "Manipulating time is a serious offense Bardock."

Bardock scowled at her. "If I didn't, you and the witch would have ended up blowing up time itself, so, eat me."

Chronoa glared at him and stamped her foot down. "Hmph! The Bardock in our timeline is much more of a gentleman than you!"

Bardock turned away from her and glanced at Vegeta. "Vegeta, don't let shutting down these timeplanes destroy who you are."

Vegeta scoffed. "Destroy me? Please, unlike that buffoon Kakarot, I'm not so easily attached."

Bardock faintly smiled. "So you say, but Towa has yet to truly test you."

A troubled look briefly crossed Vegeta's face before he banished it.

Bardock turned to Goku. "Kakarot, you remember that person, don't you? The one who stopped you from making a certain wish at the end of the Universal Survival Tournament?"

Goku stiffened, a shocked look crossing his face. "How do you know about... that person?"

Bardock merely smiled and poked his head. "I can see the past too because of the ring."

Goku nodded slowly, his eyes briefly turning towards Pan before going back to Bardock. "What about... that person?"

"When the time comes, and you meet that person again...," began Bardock.

Goku's eyes went wide. "Wait, what? That person's alive?!"

Bardock hesitated. "Not yet... well... in a manner of speaking, ish... grrr, its hard to explain without endangering that future."

Bardock took in a breath and slowly let it out. "When the time comes, and you meet that person again, you need to stop that person from trying to commit the same mistake you were going to make with that wish of yours. If that person tries it, that person will die and everything will spin out of control. When the moment arrives, and you'll know it when it does, tell that person to have faith in ' _them_ '."

Goku slowly nodded, a deeply troubled look on his face, his eyes flickered to Pan again before going back to Bardock. "Okay. I'm not sure I really understand how that person can be alive but not be alive, nor why that person would make the same mistake that person stopped me from making, but, I'll try when the time comes."

Pan was starting to grow annoyed. Grandpa and Bardock were being very evasive right now. Even Vegeta looked like he had a glint of understanding, and was eying her for some reason like Grandpa had been. It was pissing her off, they were keeping a secret of some kind. She was tempted to demand an answer, but knew she'd probably get shot down.

Bardock turned towards Gohan. "Gohan..."

Gohan held up a hand. "I don't want to know the future. I'd prefer to just let things play out."

Bardock smiled softly. "I kind of figured, but, I still want to help. My suggestion is for both you and your wife, so, please hear me out."

Gohan crossed his arms, a wary look on his face. "..."

Bardock sighed. "Sometimes, letting go is the hardest thing in the world. One day, you and your wife will have to, the quicker you two do it, the easier things will be."

Gohan frowned, looking a bit disturbed. "Letting go of what?"

Bardock slowly shook his head and turned towards Pan. Rather than speak, he stared at her for a few minutes, appearing to mull something over.

He closed his eyes. "Pan, there are so many things I could say, things I could try to change, but... I think rather than give you a warning or a suggestion, I'll ask you a question."

Pan felt curious, and a little wary at his words. "What is it?"

"Would you sacrifice everything, even who you are as a person, if it meant standing up for what you believe in and, in your mind, protecting your friends and family?" asked Bardock.

Pan didn't hesitate. "Yes."

Gohan stiffened, looking back and forth between Pan and Bardock before demanding. "Why ask that question Bardock?"

Bardock shook his head, refusing to answer.

Pan crossed her arms, she had a hunch what he meant. "It probably means I'm going to die again at some point. Great, as if the first time wasn't enough."

Bardock gave her a sad smile. "Just remember what your answer when the time comes to make that sacrifice. What happens isn't exactly what you think it will be."

Pan refused to grow alarmed or show any signs of nervousness. "If your going to just tease it around me, don't bother. I'll just have to grab the dragonballs when we get back to get ready."

Bardock hesitated for a moment. "Pan... not everything can be solved with the dragonballs."

A solid lump formed in Pan's throat. W-what was he saying? That she'd die and the dragonballs couldn't help her come back?! Pan struggled with the thought as a wave of fear washed over her. S-she had died before without thinking she could come back, she could do so again! She wouldn't be afraid to face it! If it even came down to it that is, she had a warning now, and she'd make use of it.

"Well, when the time comes, I'll just have to try harder," said Pan dismissively, trying her best to sound brave and unaffected.

He took off the tainted time ring and tossed it to Chronoa. "Here."

Chronoa caught it and pocketed it. "Thanks, I guess."

Bardock rubbed his forehead and sighed. "Well, when you all are ready to move on, blast me, I'm the distortion."

Bardock crossed his arms and stared at them. "Well? What are you waiting for?"

Pan looked at the group, most of them looked lost in thought over Bardock's warnings. Pan turned to face her great-grandpa, held out her hand, and hesitated. She should just end this so they could move on and put a stop to Towa. He was a planet purger, just like the Saiyans she had killed on Terra, there wasn't any reason to hesitate. She took in a breath, let it out, and sent out a blast of ki. Bardock gave her a faint smile before it hit and punctured through his chest. Pan winced, feeling a throb in her heart when he collapsed.

She looked away from his corpse as it began to gray, feeling flustered and ashamed all of the sudden. Dammit, even if he had given them warnings, he was just a planet purger, and someone that had to die so this timeplane would stop. Why in the world did she feel so kami awful all of the sudden? She had killed scum like him all the time back on Terra... had the last few years at home really made her so soft? Or... was it because he looked like Grandpa? Because he was family?

"Hmph, if your going to have a meltdown grandbrat you should have let me do it," said Vegeta.

Pan gave a start, realizing she had been starting shed tears, before she viciously wiped her eyes on her sleeve and then glared at him. "Shut up! You were just standing around so I had to get us moving!"

She avoided looking at Grandpa and dad while turning to look at Chronoa. "Well?"

Chronoa nodded slowly before raising her hand into the air. With a flash of light, they disappeared...

* * *

 _Author's Notes:_

 _(1) You might have to re-read chapter 1 to understand who Bardock/Goku was referring to. Its a bit of a tease of the future, but, if you have a bit of imagination, you might be able to figure out a major part of an upcoming storyline based off this chapter and chapter 1. :D  
_

 _(2) Those who have been reading since the beginning might notice I don't have the intro-side-story text for this one, and that I went back and deleted them all for the other chapters. To be frank, I really didn't have a clue where I was going with that. It was delaying me (some times I spent a good hour or so just trying to figure out what to write for those parts), and, while some were good, some of them seemed really dumb/half assed. So, I removed them in order to focus my efforts on the main storyline._


	30. Perfection Reborn

_**Potara - Chapter 30: Perfection Reborn**_

* * *

An ill feeling formed in Pan's gut before she could even get her bearings, and when she did, it only made things worse. The world, another Earth, they found themselves in now was in utter ruin. They were at what Pan figured to be the remains of Mount Paozu. Half the mountain was blown away, there was a crater where Grandpa's house had been. The trees nearby looked like they had all perished in a fire and just started to regrow. But, the worse thing Pan could feel, or rather not feel, was people. It eerily reminded her of being on Terra, she couldn't feel people anywhere no matter how far she stretched out her senses.

"Jezz, what happened to the Earth?" wondered Pan.

"Who knows, Kai, where's the distortion?" demanded Vegeta.

Chronoa held up a hand, releasing a pulse of energy, she turned her head and pointed, "To the north."

They took off and began to fly northward. Pan kept her eyes down, studying the Earth as they flew, a furious feeling building in her chest. Ruins, everywhere. Destroyed homes, scorch marks of ki blasts, deformed terrain, skeletons laying around. This was everything Pan had never wanted to see happen to the Earth. Whatever had done this was going to pay!

They flew for about an hour before they came to their destination.

"Impossible...," whispered Gohan in shock and disbelief, staring down at two figures standing there looking up at them.

Pan looked them over. The taller was was a green bug man. Upon the top of his head was a black orb, spiking up above it were two spotted green intrusions, almost like a crown. It's face was pale except for two purple stripes along the side of its face. It's face was bound between some kind of gold plate along the edges of its skull. It had no ears, just black holes where they should be. Its neck was as pale as its face, below that was black shoulders, and behind it were two black wings. Its torso and muscular ares were spotted green like the top of its head. Its lower half sported the same look, save for the bottom of its legs which were black, and its feet which were gold looking and toe-less.

The figure beside it was pretty much the same, except, it was half the first creature's size and was blue instead of green. Something about them seemed vaguely familiar, as if someone had described them to her before. She looked to her father, about to ask him who they are, before she froze. Disbelief ran through her body. Was that... was that hate on her father's face?! Her father was looking down at the larger creature, anger, borderline hatred on his face. Dad was a pacifist, he wouldn't harm a fly unless he absolutely had to. She looked to Grandpa and Vegeta, they both looked serious. Just who was this creature?

"Dad, who is that?" Pan asked timidly.

"Cell," seethed Gohan.

Pan's eyes went wide. Wait, Cell? As in the Cell that made dad ascend to Super Saiyan 2 for the first time? She glanced down at it, sizing the creature up again. She remembered being told the creature was pure evil, it killed people and stole their energy, it had apparently killed and stole energy from Android 17 and 18 too to make itself really powerful and change its appearance. Though, Grandpa had been a little evasive when talking about why those two made it transform.

Gohan descended the ground and the rest of the followed.

Cell smirked at him. "Well well well, Son Gohan in the flesh, all grown up, just like the Demoness said."

"So, Towa told you we were coming?" asked Gohan warily.

Cell curtly tipped his head. "But of course. After she stopped those meddlesome pests from interfering in our fight and I overwhelmed your pitiful power, she informed me of what the future would hold."

Gohan narrowed his eyes. "The only reason that fight was that close, Cell, was because Vegeta interfered to begin with and I took an unguarded hit for him. Otherwise I would have destroyed you, easily, and you know it."

"Hmph," muttered Vegeta.

Cell smirked. "Perhaps, perhaps not. We will never know what the outcome would have been had we been allowed to continue that particular fight. That does also ignore that you would have died previously had your father not interfered with my self-destruction. So, call us even."

Gohan spit at the ground as a response.

Cell's smirk turned into a full fledged grin. "Oh Gohan, you can't imagine how long I've been waiting for this rematch. I am going to enjoy this, greatly. But first, I have a proposition for you..."

Gohan crossed his arms. "Whatever it is, I'm not interested."

Cell's gaze went from Gohan, to Pan. "You child, are Gohan's spawn are you not?"

Pan felt a chill go down her spine as their eyes meant. This thing...

She narrowed her eyes, banished her growing unease, and replied, "I'm his daughter! Not his spawn! Spawn would be that thing standing next to you if I had to guess."

Cell laughed. "This child is a feisty one! This will make this all the more, _perfect_."

Gohan shifted, stepping infront of Pan, and spoke, his tone dangerous, "You will not lay a hand on my daughter."

Cell nodded. "Oh but of course. Why would I waste my time on someone so beneath my level?"

Pan bristled in anger.

"However, when Towa informed me of your offspring, I had the most wondrous of ideas. It's why I created my latest child. How about we see then, which one of them is stronger? Think of it Gohan, a competition, a new Cell Games! Child against child, and then father against father!" said Cell, his voice elated.

"Not, happening," said Gohan.

"Oh? Do you not believe your child is up to the challenge? Or is she to much of a coward to fight?" said Cell.

"I'm no coward!" shouted Pan, "I'll take your brat on!"

Gohan glared back at her. "No, you will not! He's goading you Pan, trying to hurt you to get at me."

"I know," said Pan.

Gohan stared at her in disbelief. "You know?! Then why..."

Pan turned her angry gaze from Cell, to her father. "Because I didn't come to be a tag along who stays in the back cheering you guys on. I came to fight and test myself! I can't grow stronger unless I'm really pushed, I need this."

"Ah! That's the spirit child!" said Cell with amusement, "If I dare say, you appear to be more of a warrior than your father."

Goku stepped forward. "Let her fight Gohan."

Gohan glared at him. "Unlike you, dad, I'm not willing to just throw my child into the lions den without a care or a worry like you did with me against Cell."

Goku winced and took a step back. "Gohan..."

"Oh, that looked like it hurt Goku," said Cell with glee.

Pan walked up and stood right in front of her father, looking up at him. "Dad, if you don't stop holding me back, I wont forgive you."

"Pan..., I just don't want you to get hurt," said Gohan, his voice pleading, "This isn't training, this isn't a game, that Cell Junior will..."

"Will what? Kill me? Dad, I've died before, I KNOW this isn't a game. That's why I want to fight! If I don't get stronger and test myself in a real fight, when you, Grandpa, and everyone else is gone, how will I be strong or experienced enough to hold my own?" Pan demanded.

"She's been killed already? I must admit Gohan, I'm shocked, you certainly let her down, just like you let down all your friends and family when Goku had to sacrifice himself for you," mocked Cell.

Gohan's gaze darkened and he turned to glare at Cell. "I'll let my daughter fight, but be warned Cell, when it's our turn, I am not going to hold back like I did at the start of our original fight. Your evil, your scum, your mere existence threatens our timestream. I will kill you without hesitation."

Cell grinned. "Yes Gohan, that's the way. I look forward to our rematch, it will be glorious, the _perfect_ battle. For now though, let us see whose child is the _perfect_ offspring."

Cell looked towards his offspring. "Fight the girl, make her suffer."

Cell Junior cackled maniacally. "Yes father! Hee hee hee!"

Pan walked past her father, Cell Junior did likewise from his. They both stopped, an arms distance away from one another. They glared daggers at one another before half-crouching, giving a roar, and powering up.

"AAAAAAAAHHH!" they both roared as the aura of a Super Saiyan, and then the lightning of an Super Saiyan 2 surrounded them.

Pan showed no fear, but, she did note how the Junior's power level rose to almost exactly match hers. When they finished, they both stood, glowing and sparking, waiting for the other to make the first move. Pan grew annoyed, how was it so close to her in power?

"Okay what gives Cell?" called out Goku, "There's no way your Junior just happens to be almost exactly as powerful as Pan it."

Cell smirked. "Well, the demoness gave me a rough estimate to go by. There would be no challenge if I simply made him stronger than her. So, I decided to make my child roughly as powerful, and let his skill and cunning handle the rest, just to prove his superiority."

Skill and cunning huh? Pan smirked at that, she'd show him just who he was dealing with.

"Alright you blue piece of trash! I hope your ready to get the crap kicked out of you!" shouted Pan to its face.

"Keee kee keee, your the one whose going to be beaten!" said Cell Junior.

They both disappeared and reappeared high in the air, trading blows as fast as they could. Pan could tell right off the bat this thing was no joke. It really was just as quick, and just as strong as her. It kept pace and showed mastery of the fighting forms the Earth's defenders used. They perfectly blocked, dodged, or jabbed one another. She pondered it while reflexively keeping pace. Wasn't Cell supposed to be a creation based off their powers and fighting styles? She smirked, its a good thing then she knew a fighting form that it didn't.

When the Cell Junior came to smash a fist into her face, she raised an arm under its fist, pushing up the blow to graze her head. with it unbalanced, she gave a war-cry and gut punched it as hard as she could. The Cell Junior gasped out in pain and tumbled backwards. Pan flew forward and down, grabbing its legs as she passed by. She hurtled to the ground, swung the creature overhead, and smashed it down.

The earth around them shifted at the impact. Pan stepped on its knee and twisted both its leg and her body, ripping the appendix off. The Cell Junior screamed in pain as Pan tossed its ripped off leg away. Pan reached down, grabbing its throat and hefting it up. She grinned at it, pulled her head back, and slammed her head forward into the creatures skull, knocking it to the ground again. She walked around it and kicked it hard, sending it flying and skidding along the ground.

"Well, I dare say, she appears far more ruthless than I would have imagined one of your children to be Son Gohan, perhaps I was wrong, you've raised her quite well," Cell admired mockingly.

Pan shot Cell a glare before glancing back at the Cell Junior in time to see an explosion of blue goop shoot out of its knee. She stared at it, dumbstruck, as its leg regrew itself. the creature stood back up and cackled at her with glee.

"The hell?" exclaimed Pan.

"He is my greatest child, gifted with the power of regeneration," called out Cell, "Nothing short of complete annihilation or overwhelming might will do him in. Do you have it in you child, to take the life of another?"

Pan tilted her head his way, raising an eyebrow. "You have no idea who your talking to bug man. I killed Saiyan's on Terra without hesitation. I have no problem with killing your little monster child."

Cell stared at her for a moment, looking a little dumbstruck, before a wry smile spread across his face. "I almost hope you win, child. I would immensely enjoy my time with you after killing your family and the prince."

Pan felt ki and immediately threw herself to the side as the Cell Junior rushed at her. Pan staggered a bit, trying to re-balance, before taking off into the air to gain some distance.

"Special beam cannon!" came the annoying high pitched voice of Cell Junior.

Pan immediately threw two hands to the side and cried out. "Kamehameha!"

The wave sent her rocketing backwards and out of the way of Piccolo's deadly signature attack. She whirled, glaring down at the little monstrosity barreling her way. So, complete annihilation or overwhelming might was her only choice eh? Perhaps she ought to take a page out of Kojin's book then and go for lethal right away. The moment they came within range of one another, she put on a heavy drain on her power. She knew it was risky, but, she burned at least a full twenty percent of her power, blitzed forward to fast for Cell Junior to react, and smashed her right hand into the top of its head, caving in its skull, snapping its neck, and sent it rocketing to the ground where it impacted, shook the Earth, and left a gigantic crater.

Pan licked her lips hungrily at the sight of its crushed body. It was still alive, and would probably regenerate, but, its power had dropped far more then her's did with her measly twenty percent expenditure. The Cell Junior wasn't even half as strong as it had been at the start of the fight. She had thought this might be hard, but, this thing just didn't know how to fight her. It might know how to fight Grandpa and his friends, but her? She wasn't going to play nice, or play soft. She was going to butcher this thing.

Pan smiled a wide smile and cracked her knuckles. "Damn, I forgot how good it felt to beat the crap out of scum like you."

With that, she began to descend to the ground and smirked at it. Cell junior slowly sat up, its body regenerating. Rather than fight, it looked at her fearfully, backing away.

"What's the mater? Afraid?" said Pan, giving it a wicked grin, "Well you should be. I don't give a rats ass about killing a creature like you. In fact, I'm _really_ going to enjoy this..."

* * *

Gohan crossed his arms and sighed. "There's that dark edge to her ki again... dammit Pan."

Goku stood next to Gohan, frowning. "I thought I gotten her away from this. She hasn't fought like this in a spar for almost two years..."

"Hmph, I don't know why your acting upset, she's fighting a monster, her killing it without hesitation is a good thing," said Vegeta.

"Not when she acts... acts so damn evil while doing it," muttered Gohan with a mix of confusion, apprehension, and regret.

Vegeta scoffed. "Evil? Seriously? I don't know who I find more infuriating at times, you or Kakarot. Are you going to tell me you actually think your daughter is evil?"

Gohan winced. "No! That's not what I meant. It's just... this isn't right, she's acting like..."

"Like what Gohan? In case you've forgotten what you are, and what she is, let me remind you. You are a Saiyan! She is a Saiyan!" said Vegeta, his voice growing more angry and annoyed by the second.

"Real Saiyans, unlike you, Kakarot, Trunks, Bra, and Goten, are not soft creatures. They enjoy the thrill of combat, the thrill of the kill," explained Vegeta.

"He's kind of right you two," said Chronoa, "Just because she has no reservations about striking down actually evil beings doesn't make her evil. Pan is not, nor ever will be, evil."

She crossed her arms and looked at Goku. "Let's say there was a guy about to blow up a school full of kids. To King Yemma on the day of your judgement, do you know what the difference between disarming and sparing that guy, and just outright killing him would be if your intentions are just to save those kids?"

Goku frowned. "Well..."

"Nothing Goku, the difference would be next to nothing," said Chronoa firmly.

"It still robs the person of having a chance to change," said Goku, his voice and stance firm, "Vegeta, Piccolo, Yamcha, Tien and Chaoutzu, they all got that chance. They never would have if they had been killed for their mistakes."

Chronoa raised an eyebrow. "With Vegeta at least, you are aware he went on to kill an entire Namekian Village of innocent people after you gave him the chance to change, right?"

Vegeta scowled. "Hmph."

Goku rubbed his eyes. "Supreme Kai of Time..."

"Look Goku, I'm trying to save you guys some headaches and emotional issues," said Chronoa, "She's NOT evil, not even close, she's just not blind good like you are."

Goku winced. "Blind good?"

Chronoa nodded. "Your naivety and mercy can really come back to bite you and others, ya know?"

Gohan shook his head. "Naivety and mercy aside, all Pan has to do is let it go to her head, or start losing restraints on who she uses that power on and she'll starting falling down a slippery slope."

Chronoa crossed her arms. "Hmph, you ought to have more faith in your daughter."

"JUDGEMENT!" came a cry from Pan, ending the conversation.

Gohan looked to see energy rain down from the sky and completely annihilate the Cell Junior in a huge explosion.

Goku put a hand on Gohan's shoulder. "Looks like your up now."

Gohan nodded and started forward.

* * *

Pan smirked at the blackened stain on the ground her attack had made when it obliterated the Cell Junior and then turned to look at Cell. "Look's like I win! I'd hardly call that thing the ' _perfect_ ' child."

Rather than get angry like she thought he would, Cell merely smirked at her. "Perhaps. I didn't give you enough credit, child. It's a shame really, that your not older, more powerful, and more experienced. I would enjoy fighting you immensely."

Cell gave her a sinister look. "But that's alright. After I'm done with your family and the prince, I'll take you in under my wing and show you perfection."

Pan's eyebrows furrowed. "Excuse me?"

Cell smirked. "I'm going to enjoy molding you into my ultimate opponent. I'll show you a life of hell, twist you in my image, turning you into a perfect killing machine, and when you reach the absolute pinnacle of your power, we will fight, and I will kill you."

A brief image crossed Pan's mind. She thought of the evil version of her father they had seen a few world's back. Then it warped, showing her an evil version of herself. She gulped, powered down, and backed away from Cell, feeling queasy and a little afraid.

Gohan walked between them, Pan could see the rage on her father's face. "That's _**NOT** _ going to happen Cell."

He looked back at Pan. "Go stand with the others, now."

Pan flew over and landed next to Grandpa and turned to watch Cell and her father stare each-other down. She forgot her momentary fear of the creature as excitement began to build in her. This was something she had never seen before. This wasn't a spar, this wasn't dad doing his superhero Saiyaman stuff, he was actually going to seriously fight and beat down Cell. She could hardly wait to see...

"So Gohan, shall we begin?" called out Cell.

Gohan nodded. "Sure, but, I hope you don't mind if I end it quick. I have better things to do than fight you."

Cell smirked. "By all means."

Gohan clenched his fists, gave a shout, and turned Super Saiyan Blue.

Cell began to clap his hands. "Bravo Gohan, bravo, to hold the power of the gods is impressive indeed."

Pan froze, Cell... Cell knew what this was? "Oh shit, he's..."

Cell gave a laugh, clenched his fists, gave a shout, and illuminated himself in his own blue aura. Immediately Pan lost the ability to sense his ki.

"He's a god," whispered Pan, growing afraid.

Goku nodded. "Yeah, and he's no pushover. This... is going to be rough. Vegeta, should we...?"

Vegeta shook his head. "The bug's stronger than Gohan, but not by enough to be alarmed."

"I don't know," said Goku with concern, "The way he's standing there, so confident, it's like when him and I fought. I think he's hiding his real strength."

Vegeta frowned. "Hmm."

Cell grinned at the shocked Gohan. "What's the matter, _boy_? Afraid? As your daughter said to my son, _you should be_. After all, Towa let me in on your weakness. You might have caught back up to your father and Vegeta with a few days in the Time Chamber, but, you only train to maintain your power, not improve it. Where you have pathetically settled down, I train to push myself to my limits and beyond. I am perfection incarnate, and before me you are nothing."

Pan didn't see him move, but she clearly saw him reappear and drive his fist into her dad's guy, doubling him over. "Daddy!"

She started forward, only for Goku to grab her shoulder and pull her back. "Pan, you can't help him."

"Then do something!" she screamed at him with fear, "Dad's going to get killed!"

There was a chorus of laughter from Cell. "Do you hear that Gohan? Your own flesh and blood has no faith in your abilities. You ought to be ashamed of how pitiful you are."

Pan looked back to see Cell start to knock her father around, easily dodging and countering each attempt Gohan made to fight back.

"Come now boy, is this all you've got? Show me what you've got, show me your real power!" taunted Cell.

Goku gave a start. "Is Cell... is he seriously doing this again?"

Pan looked up at Grandpa. "What do you mean?"

"What he means is we don't need to interfere," said Vegeta firmly.

Pan grew confused. "I don't understand..."

"You haven't seen it Pan," said Goku, lowering his voice, "You haven't seen what happens when Gohan gets _mad_. Cell is intentionally egging him on, again, just like he did in the Cell Games. I hope he's ready then, because Cell is going to get what he asked for."

"And unlike your anger Pan," said Vegeta, "His bursts of rage are FAR more powerful."

Pan grew nervous. "You dummies! If you know that, then so does Cell! He went through it before, right? He knows what will happen! He doesn't look afraid!"

Goku hesitated. "Well, we will see. I think he's just underestimating Gohan again."

"You better be right Grandpa," said Pan, "Because if dad dies because you didn't step in to save him, I won't forgive you."

* * *

Gohan staggered back, blood leaking out of his nose. "Gah..."

Cell smirked at him. "Oh Gohan, this is pathetic. You know, its a shame we don't have another Android Sixteen laying around for me to kill to get you to fight seriously."

Gohan froze, an image of 16's head being crushed under Cell's foot flooding his vision. "You..."

Gohan glared at the bio-android. "You really are a despicable, heartless creature."

Cell smirked. "I'm hurt Gohan. All I want is to see your true power, is that so much to ask?"

Gohan spit at him and adopted a defensive stance, ready and waiting.

Cell scowled. "I'm not going to waste time like I did last time. I could spawn a few god ki infused Cell Juniors to beat on your family, but, I think I'll just skip right to the end part."

Cell blurred, moving so fast Gohan couldn't fully keep up. The Bio-Android smashed into Goku, knocking him away, and send a burst of ki that sent Vegeta flying. Gohan froze, seeing Cell towering over Pan. She lashed out, trying to hit him. Cell moved around her and grabbed her head from behind. He turned and held the struggling girl out towards Gohan.

"Well _boy_? How about it?" taunted Cell, "Are you going to get mad? Or do I have to SQUEEZE the life out of your daughter?"

Their was an audible crunch as Cell's fingers bite into and cracked Pan's skull, causing her to scream in horrific pain. Gohan's eyes went wide, seeing blood run out of his daughter's ears, eyes, and nose. In an instant, he lost absolute control of himself.

"CELL!" roared Gohan in mind numbing rage.

The Earth at Gohan's feet cracked and splintered. His blue aura exploded in size and power. The normal blue electricity that appeared with the aura was now cackling nonstop. With a burst of speed, Gohan flew forward and drove a fist into Cell's chest, sending the Bio-Android flying and making it let go of Pan. Gohan caught his daughter, disappeared, and reappeared next to Chronoa, setting her on the ground.

Gohan burst off the ground, surging after Cell who had barely managed to recover. He slammed the bio-android into the ground before flying up and then back down, driving a knee into it and pinning it down. He began to rain down blows relentlessly, again and again and again and... wait...

He stopped suddenly, seeing a smile on Cell's bruised face. "That's it Gohan, that's the way!"

Cell's blue energy faded, and a purple aura overtook him. A nova of energy erupted from the bio-android, sending Gohan flying. He landed on a ways back, skidding to a stop on the ground and staring up at Cell as the bio-android appeared above him.

"That aura," exclaimed Gohan, "That's the power of... of..."

Cell smirked down at him. "Of Destruction? You'd be correct. How do you think I became a god to begin with? I encountered Beerus, and after our... initial altercation when he beat me within an inch of my life, he took me on as his apprentice. I am well on my way to become the _perfect_ God of Destruction. The truly, _perfect_ , weapon."

Cell burst forward at Gohan, and they quickly began trading blows. Gohan winced at every hit, every block. To strong... this was to much! He couldn't fight an apprentice God of Destruction!

"Gohan! Move!" cried out Goku.

Gohan threw himself to the side as a Kamehameha wave surged past and slammed into Cell, sending the bio-android rocketing back.

Goku floated up to Gohan, his own Super Saiyan Blue aura up and running. "Well, I guess both Pan and I were right."

Vegeta floated next to them, his arms crossed. "Hmph. True Saiyan's fight alone, but, I'll make an exception this time. I have my own score to settle with this pale copy for embarrassing me and killing my future son."

Gohan looked forward, seeing Cell slowly fly towards them, studying the three challengers.

He looked to his dad. "Can we beat him?"

Goku nodded slowly. "He's way stronger than the last apprentice God of Destruction I fought a few years ago was. Cell would crush Lord Komodo, easily. I figure our Saiyan cells inside of him really helped push him ahead, but, he's not invincible. He's not at Beerus's level, if we fight together, we can win."

"Just make sure when we kill him, he's actually dead," warned Vegeta, "If he comes back from near death at this point, even I'll admit we wont stand a chance."

"Hmph, I planned to kill you two after, but at least this way things are interesting," mocked Cell, "Come! Come to me!"

The three Super Saiyan Blue's rushed him. Gohan was surprised to see they were actually overpowering Cell, surrounding and knocking the creature around between the three of them. Immediately Gohan grew wary, what was going on? There was no way Cell would blindly leap into this...

"Yes... YES!" roared Cell suddenly, throwing his arms to the side and releasing a barrier of energy, sending all three of them flying in different directions.

Immediately Cell surged towards Vegeta and drove a knee into the man's stomach before backhanding him to the ground. Vegeta rolled just before Cell could drive his fist through Vegeta's back, cracking the ground instead. Goku rushed Cell from behind, kicking him and launching him towards Gohan who two hand smashed him into the ground. The three of them floated there, all of them warily eyeing Cell.

Cell sat up, huffing and puffing. "Perfect. this is everything I could have imagined and more! This will be my greatest battle yet! And after I'm done with you three, I'll use the strength I've gained here to destroy the Destroyer! Beerus shall fall, and I will claim my rightful place as destruction incarnate!"

Gohan narrowed his eyes. "He wants us to beat him to near death... he's just using us for more power."

"CELL! I am no stepping stone!" roared Vegeta.

Goku grabbed his shoulder before he could rush off. "Hold it Vegeta! Cell's gambling, if we fight him blindly on his terms we lose. We fight him together, we win."

Cell rose into the air and floated a ways from them. "Come now, Cell the Destroyer has a certain ring to it, doesn't it? Surely you agree."

Cell smirked and held up an arm, examining it admiringly. "The purple aura is a nice touch as well, it gives me a far more menacing appearance, it drives the fear and terror I love to much into the hearts of you mortals I loath so much."

Cell glanced past them. "Don't you agree child? You'd share in this power before I'd kill you, would you not enjoy its glory?"

Gohan turned his head, seeing Pan standing next to Chronoa, apparently healed. But how... oh wait a second. The Supreme Kai of Time was a kaioshin, she could heal, couldn't she?

" _Chronoa_!" Gohan called telepathically, " _Keep Pan safe for me, okay_?"

Chronoa nodded her head in his direction. With that, the three Saiyan gods rushed back into battle against Cell...

* * *

Pan stood next to the Supreme Kai of Time, glowering at the battle taking place above her. Not that she could follow it with her eyes or senses, all she caught were blurs of blue and purple energy. The only thing she could feel was the overwhelming pressure they were exerting by their mere presence. She clenched her fists in anger. Cell had used her, partially crushing her skull, just to get a rise out of her father and draw out his full power. She was livid, pissed. But beyond that, she felt completely and utterly useless. This was so far beyond her, but it didn't have to be! If only Grandpa had taken her in when he went to train her father into a Super Saiyan God she could have been helping them!

 _"...You'd share in this power before I'd kill you, would you not enjoy its glory?"_

Pan flinched as Cell's words echoed in her head. She would never admit it to his face, or to the others, but, she... she wanted that power he had. He was almost going even with three Super Saiyan Blue's, and he was only an Apprentice God of Destruction. The power of a destroyer god... it was unreal... she could feel herself begin to crave it. For a moment, she saw an image in her mind, of herself glowing purple with that energy.

"If I had that power, he'd never have laid a hand on my dad," whispered Pan, trembling in a fury, and self loathing.

Chronoa put her hand on Pan's shoulder. "Pan, that power is nothing you'd want to have."

Pan scowled at her. "I could easily protect Earth with it! No one would stand a chance against me!"

"There's one problem with that idea, a Destroyer God is not a protector. It's a destroyer. The only reason Cell is even here is because Beerus is probably napping and not keeping him on a leash. You have responsibilities as a God of Destruction that must be followed lest you risk the wrath of the Omni-King or your attending Angel," warned Pan, "It's not a power you are just free to use at will."

"Could of fooled me," muttered Pan, turning back to looking in the sky trying to track the battle...

* * *

Gohan threw a punch forward, smashing Cell back towards Vegeta. Cell however flipped himself over the charging prince and kicked his back, knocking him into Gohan and temporarily out of the battle. Cell rushed at the now lone Goku, but before he could hit...

"Kaio-Ken!" shouted Goku.

Gohan shoved Vegeta off of him and glanced up to see Goku barely managing to keep pace with Cell. Gohan frowned, that's right, dad could use the Kaio-Ken with Super Saiyan Blue. What was he waiting for? He'd gone times ten against Lord Komodo years ago. He ought to go max and just finish him off.

"Fool," muttered Vegeta, glaring at Gohan, "I know what your thinking. If Kakarot goes full force, but fails to kill Cell, he's lose his power and its over. Get some damn battle sense."

Gohan nodded and watched Vegeta rush back into the battle. He knew what he had to do. He needed to get Cell locked into a beam struggle, that way, dad could go full force and overwhelm Cell. He cupped his hands to his side and began charging the biggest Kamehameha wave of his life. Energy began to pour into the rapidly growing sphere of energy.

Cell batted both Vegeta and Goku away, sparing a glance at Gohan. "Really _boy_? You want to try this again? If I recall, the last time we did this, you died."

"Funny, I remember you dying, not me!" taunted Gohan, trying to get him to take the bait.

Cell smirked, adopting the same stance as him. "Very well, _boy_ , I accept your challenge. Come! All of you together! Show me your power!"

Gohan hesitated, Cell was directly challenging them with an air of confidence that alarmed Gohan. Was this the right move to make...?

He didn't really have time to wonder as Goku and Vegeta floated down to him and began charging their own attacks. Four massive clouds of energy surrounded the fighters. The Earth far below them had begun to split and splinter under their combined might. Pan and Chronoa flew into the air and put some distance between them and the fight.

"Perfect Kamehameha!" roared Cell, unleashing an absolutely massive purple Kamehameha wave.

"Kamehameha!" both Goku and Gohan cried out.

"Final Flash!" roared Vegeta.

The three bottom energy blasts combined and slammed into Cell's. Immediately they began to slowly push his back.

"Hahahaha!" laughed Cell, "Fools! Do you not realize your against the perfect weapon? One who can adapt to any power? Any technique?"

Gohan watched, horrified, as a second red aura appeared around Cell's purple one and the thing roared. "Thanks for the idea Son Goku! Kaio-Ken!"

Gohan's eyes went wide as Cell's energy beam began to overtake theirs. The Kaio-Ken with the power of the destroyer? Gohan's arms began to buckle at the insane energy pouring back down the energy wave. This was madness...

"Kakarot you damn idiot!" roared Vegeta, "Why do you ALWAYS screw everything up!?"

"Times Ten!" was Goku's response, his red double aura increasing in size.

Cell's energy barely slowed down.

"TIMES TWENTY!" roared Goku, his double aura exploding in size.

The energy began to slow to a crawl, but it was still pushing forward.

"Damn, I can't keep this up for long!" said Goku, "Gohan! You've got to have some power hidden somewhere, unleash everything!"

"I unleashed everything the moment he nearly crushed Pan's skull!" shouted Gohan.

"Oh crap," muttered Goku, "I should have taught you the Kaio-Ken."

"This is gonna hurt alot," said Goku, "But, I saw Pan go to this level before, so I know it's got to be possible."

"Dad, what are you talking about?" asked Gohan warily.

"TIMES!" began Goku, "THIRTY!"

Energy erupted out of Goku's hand, stopping, and beginning to reverse Cell's energy.

"Yes Goku! Give it everything you have!" called Cell, "Kaio-Ken times two!"

Immediately the energy wave began to turn back towards them.

"Crap crap crap!" exclaimed Gohan.

"Dammit Kakarot!" shouted Vegeta.

"Just hold on guys! He's energy is unstable!" shouted Goku, "Put everything you have into just holding it back!"

Unstable? Gohan focused his senses and his eyes down the energy beam at Cell. The Bio-Android was cringing with effort and pain. Gohan could see the agony the creature was putting itself through.

"Why is only a times two hurting him?" shouted Gohan.

"For one, he has no practice with using the Kaio-Ken!" replied Goku, "For two, I don't think the power of a Destroyer God is very compatible with it. It would be just as bad as using the Kaio-Ken with the regular Super Saiyan forms, just HOLD HIS ENERGY BACK!"

Gohan put everything he had into his energy wave, all of them doing the same. But, he could feel his dad's power starting to drain. He couldn't maintain such a huge level of the Kaio-Ken for long. Cell's beam was steadily overtaking theirs...

"SUPER KAMEHAMEHA!" shouted Pan.

Gohan's eyes went wide, shifting his head to see Pan as a Super Saiyan 2 floating a ways to the side of Cell. His daughter unleashed a huge energy wave that raced towards Cell.

"Pan what are you doing?!" screamed Gohan, "You can't hurt him! Get out of..."

He was shocked when the energy wave hit Cell and the creature actually cried out in pain. "GAH! YOU LITTLE WITCH!"

Cell lost concentration, and immediately their power began to overtake his. The bio-android ground its teeth, tried its best to ignore Pan, and refocused on them. The energy wave stopped progressing on one another.

"His body is completely raw from the Kaio-Ken!" shouted Goku, "Even Pan can hurt him! KEEP IT UP PAN!"

"I'm trying!" Pan shouted down to them.

"Forget it! Your not worth dying to keep around!" shouted Cell.

The bio-android turned its head and unleashed twin small beams of energy from its eyes that punctured through Pan's body. She lost her Super Saiyan 2 aura, her hair turning black, and plummeted to the ground. She hit the ground and did not move.

Gohan's world stopped for a moment. "Pan..."

"PAN!" he screamed in rage and desperation.

His power exploded, overshadowing everyone else. Their combined energy overtook Cell's beam, annihilating it, and enveloping Cell.

"IMPOSSIBLE!" screamed Cell as it began to disintegrate, "I... am... perfection...!"

Cell was consumed completely, and time began to stop, the gray stillness spreading.

Gohan rushed to Pan and knelt down, shaking her. "Pan? Pan!"

"God... ki... really... hurts...," gasped out Pan weakly, barely managing to open her eyes.

The others reached them before their powers and auras faded. Chronoa threw up a shield just before the grayness could claim them. The Supreme Kai of Time knelt down and placed a hand on Pan's shoulder. A healing light poured down the girls body until she recovered and sat up.

Goku turned to Gohan, breathing heavily. "So... what was that about... having already unleashed... everything?"

"Dad... shut up," said Gohan, kneeling down on the ground to embrace Pan in a fierce hug.

"I'm fine dad, jezz stop! Your embarrassing me!" pleaded Pan.

"If you ever do something so reckless again Pan," began Gohan, "So help me I'll... I'll..."

Pan glared at him before she began to sniffle. "You'll what? I thought I was going to lose you! I just saved your damn life! Just... just... shut up and hug me."

* * *

Goku watched daughter and father embrace tearfully and sighed with relief, falling onto his back and breathing in and out.

Vegeta sat down next to Goku. "Kakarot, I swear, your more trouble than your worth sometimes."

Goku looked at him. "Aww lay off. Cell kind of did himself in by copying my Kaio-Ken."

Goku struggled to sit up. "But dang. That was rough compared to the last timeplanes."

Chronoa nodded. "Towa isn't messing around anymore. Bardock's visions scared her. She's trying to kill us now."

"Scared? Hmph, hardly. I merely want to exterminate you pests and be done with it," came a voice above them.

They all glanced up to see Towa floating above them, protected by a red bubble of energy.

Goku rose to his feet, glaring at the demoness. "So whats next, huh? Majin Buu? Bojack? Broly? Golden Freeza? You villains never learn. You can't beat what we are with evil. Give it up!"

Towa glared at him, clenching her fists in rage. "You damn arrogant monkey I'll..."

She paused briefly before a sinister grin spread across her face. "Can't beat you with evil you say? Well, perhaps I should take your words under advisement."

With that, she disappeared.

Chronoa frowned. "I don't like this. What is she up to now?"

Goku shook his head. "I don't know, but... can we rest and have something to eat before we go on?"

Chronoa sighed. "Yeah, sure, why not?"

* * *

Towa reappeared in her home timeline, a wicked grin on her face.

"Welcome back sister," came a voice ahead of her.

Towa glanced forward, seeing another 5 Towa's sitting at a red table watching Son Goku and his allies through a crystal ball. Towa smirked and sat down at the table. She had plucked each of the other Towas from the timestreams she had created before time stopped in them, and intended to keep doing so. Four of them had the lesser tainted green-red time rings on. The fifth looked a bit miffed and jealous, not having her own, but tried her best to keep her composure.

"So, what's our next move?" asked one of the other Towas, "You seem like you have an idea."

Towa held out a hand and the crystal ball levitated to her. "If I can't break their bodies, I'll break their spirits. What better way then to force 'good' to murder 'good'?"

The other Towas with ring's began to grin wickedly. The one without one however seemed doubtful.

Towa waved her hand at the crystal ball, looking through history. "Hmm... which era to pick."

The ringless Towa called out. "There's no guarantee it will work. I say we just keep going as is. To be honest, if we empowered Majin Buu and got him onto the god tier levels of power he could easily..."

Towa glared at her and waved a hand over the crystal ball, fast forwarding it to the battle where Majin Buu after he absorbed Piccolo and Gotenks fought Gohan. "You fool! We must _NEVER_ aid Majin Buu! Its uncontrollable! It could easily absorb them, then us, or the Supreme Kai of Time. Majin Buu with power over time? That thing unleashed across time itself would be a devastating force of the likes you cannot fathom! I want to create my own paradise, not be utterly destroyed and consumed."

The ringless Towa went silent.

Towa sighed and glanced down at the ball, watching Majin Buu and Vegito begin to fight. "Hmm, this one. Even without their unwillingness to fight their own, Vegito could kill them all with the power of the gods. He might not want to, but he would want to protect his own timeline and family."

"Isn't the Potara fusion limited by time?" said one of the other Towas, "He wouldn't have a chance to start his own family or even reach godhood."

Towa smirked. "Oh please, breaking rules is what we demons do. It would be easy to snuff out that limit and put him under our thumbs. In fact, I might personally get hands on with this one. I think I have just the idea..."

* * *

 _Author's Notes:_

 _Whew, that was fun. Wahoo, new chapter length record.  
_

 _So yeah, this is about to get really ugly, in a very sad way._

 _Now, I have a question for you guys, would you like to start seeing backgrounds and actual chapters of these timeplanes rather than just get brief rundowns? Or keep going as is?_

 _Please rate/review and let me know your thoughts._


	31. In the Palm of a Demon (Part 1)

_**Potara - Chapter 31: In the Palm of a Demon**_

* * *

"Your coming apart on me Majin Buu, is this how you want it to end, huh? So much for the tough warrior," called out the double voice of the Potara fused Super Saiyan Vegetto.

The pink demonic menace, wearing the gi of his, of Kakarot's absorbed son, was being held in Vegetto's hands by his head tentacle far up in the air. It was battered a bruised, missing the lower half of its body. It held a moment of fear and shock on its face before its eyebrows narrowed, it raised a hand towards Vegetto's face, charged a ki blast, and released it. However, when the smoke cleared, Vegetto was still there, not looking amused.

Vegetto dropped the Majin. "Break a leg Buu."

Before the creature could fall to far, Vegetto released a ki blast at it that blew a hole through its chest. Buu survived, angry and furious, and tried to heal itself.

"There, good as new," said Buu, breathing heavily.

Vegetto crossed his arms. "Okay, if you say so."

"Say what?" exclaimed Buu, looking down to still see a hole in its chest, "Darn you!"

"Fighting on an empty stomach?" mocked Vegetto, "Guess you don't need to worry about those painful punches to..."

Vegetto stopped mid-sentence, detecting a ki signature heading towards him and Buu. He frowned, tilting a head in its direction. The presence wasn't someone he knew, and gave off a foul taint. Though, it tickled a memory. Using the impressive memory he inherited from Vegeta, he searched through his mind in an instant before finding what he was looking for. The presence somewhat felt a little like Dabura. Curious, maybe another one of Babadi's minions? Strange this one was just showing up now.

He cracked a smile as a demon lady in a rather revealing black and red dress came into view and floated a ways away from them, staring back and forth between Buu and Vegetto. "You know Buu, you ought to fix that hole, it's unseemly to show such things to a lady."

Buu glared daggers at him. "I'll kill you!"

The woman looked sharply at Majin Buu. "Buu? As in Majin Buu?"

The Majin healed itself and then glared at her, growing annoyed. "What of it? I'm a little busy here! I'll kill or eat you AFTER I'm done with this damn Saiyan!"

The woman glared at him. "So your Babadi's little pet project. Where is your master? I want to strangle the life out of him!"

Vegetto cracked a smile at that. "Well, Buu killed him. He's not really a trustworthy character, tried to turn me into a jawbreaker with his magic because he was to weak to fight me head on. Not that it did him much better."

The woman seemed amused at that, and Buu very displeased.

The woman frowned. "Hmph, serves the impudent wizard right, enslaving my brother with his magic. Alright then Majin Buu, where is my brother? Where is Dabura?"

Vegetto's smile only grew. Evil demoness against evil pink bubblegum monster? Oh this was going to be good. Maybe he could somehow use this to make Majin Buu angry enough to try absorbing him. It was the only way he could get his friends and family back.

Buu smirked at her and patted his own stomach. "I turned him into a cookie and gobbled him up."

The woman stared at him in disbelief. "You... what?!"

Buu licked his lips. "Would you like to join him?"

Vegetto gave a start as the woman's ki exploded, an aura of red and black energy surrounding her. She rushed forward and slammed a leg into Buu, sending him rocketing back and down into the ground. Okay, this lady wasn't half bad. She was a bit stronger than Dabura had been. Though, the only reason she could landed that hit was because the Majin was surprised, and had lost a great deal of energy to the beatings Vegetto had given it.

"You pink piece of bubblegum trash!" the woman screamed towards Buu.

Vegetto floated down to levitate next to her, he could use her rage to his advantage. "So, wana do me a favor? If you do I'll let you finish him off."

She scowled at him. "What do you want?"

"To piss him off enough to try and absorb me. He absorbed my friends and family. I need to get them out," explained Vegetto.

She stared at him blankly. "Are... you an IDIOT?!"

"Shhh, keep it down," warned Vegetto, "I have a barrier technique that I think will work."

"You THINK?!" she hissed.

Vegetto hesitated at that, to be truthful, he wasn't exactly sure.

"I can feel your power, if he absorbed you, your fuses would easily empower him to new heights. You would doom the entire universe, and my own demon realm as well most likely," seethed the demon, "Are you really willing to risk that? Do you even have enough time?"

Vegetto scowled. "It's a necessary risk, I don't have any other options. And what do you mean, time?"

Buu had recovered and started flying up towards them.

The woman glanced at his earrings. "I recognize those, Potara earrings, from those damn insufferable Kais. If you've put Buu into that kind of beaten down condition, you must have been fighting for some time. How much time do you have until the fusion wears off?"

Vegetto froze. "W-wears off? WHAT?!"

Buu echoed this as well. "WHAT?!"

She glanced back and forth between them before turning to Vegetto. "You didn't know? It lasts for only an hour between none-Kaioshins."

Vegetto's heart nearly stopped. ONE HOUR? That was almost up! Even if he got absorbed to get his friends out, he's split inside before he could find them and be a sitting duck. What's more though, WHY HADN'T THE ELDER KAI TOLD KAKAROT ABOUT THE TIME LIMIT? The agony of the choice Vegeta and Kakarot had gone through lingered in his mind. They had been willing to sacrifice themselves to make HIM. He didn't like thinking that sacrifice had been made under false pretenses.

"HAHAHHAHAHA!" roared Majin Buu, "I WIN loser! You have less than a minute if I'm counting right."

Vegetto trembled with frustration. "Damn it, if I defuse, Vegeta and Kakarot wont stand a chance of getting their friends and family back. They'll die..."

"And me too," grumbled the demoness.

She studied him briefly. "I might be able to alter its limits with my magic."

Vegetto gave a start. "Really?"

"NO YOU WONT!" roared Buu, rushing towards them.

Vegetto narrowed his eyes, he would not risk this. "No more games Buu."

He burst forward and punted Buu across the sky with a kick.

He turned to the demoness. "Do it! Now! I don't have more than half a minute."

She hesitated. "If I do this, you might never be able to actually separate."

Vegetto ground his teeth. "Vegeta and Kakarot made that choice willingly to never separate when they merged to form me. Do it NOW!"

The demoness aimed a hand towards him. Black and red energy surged through the air and coated his body. He winced, feeling it seep into him. There was a brief moment of spiritual pain before he felt... strangely whole, as if every part of him was now on one unified front.

"Hmm," he said before pausing, "The... the double voice! It's gone!"

The demoness nodded. "It's a crude method, but, I infused you with a bit of my magic and seared the soul inside of you shut."

Vegetto raised an eyebrow. "Seared?"

The woman nodded. "To be honest, its a method of torture we demons use on certain captives, sometimes we throw a soul disease inside of them and sear their souls shut. Its a fascinating method of torture. I did that to you, minus the disease part. Your soul can never be split, not by my power, not by the power of the gods, and not by any other kind of magic. You are now and forever your own creature."

Vegetto nodded back. "Okay, well, I guess that works. Not sure I like the fact that I... technically had my soul tortured?"

The woman scowled. "Oh please, I did the least painful method. I'm not stupid as to make an enemy out of you. The moment I kicked the Majin I clearly felt the difference in power between him and I. I need you around to kill him, and I need to win your favor to not be killed myself."

Vegetto smirked, she was smart, but, a little arrogant, best to take that down a notch. "So, you need me huh? I'm flattered, but I'm technically taken by two women already."

The woman glared at him. "Save your taunts, the Majin is returning."

Vegetto grew serious, eyeing the approaching Majin. " I still need to get my family and friends out of him."

She grew furious. "That absorption plan of yours is stupid! Especially now that you are permanently fused. He would forever have your might in him. Not to mention he would kill me after absorbing you before you could find your friends and family."

Vegetto nodded slowly. "A fair point I suppose. I do technically owe you for the permanent fusion."

A devious smile crossed her lips. "If I may make a suggestion?"

Vegetto raised an eyebrow. "Go ahead."

"Do this the demon way. Beat the living shit out of him, torture him until he releases them to make his pain stop," said Towa, "Show him the terror of your true power."

Vegetto had to admit, he DID want to see what his own power actually was. He had been surprised at his own power as a normal Super Saiyan, who knows how strong he was as a 2 or 3? Not to mention, the Vegeta he had come from highly approved of her suggested method. Even Kakarot might not have minded after all the crap this Majin had put them through... okay yeah no, Kakarot would still have minded, but oh well. The devil was in the details or so they say.

"Sure why not?" agreed Vegetto.

He turned to Majin Buu as it arrived. "So Buu, last chance before I get serious. Let go of my friends and family, and I'll let you live."

"As if! I WILL win! I WILL kill you," roared Buu.

Vegetto smirked. "Say Buu, do you remember that demonstration Kaka-... er... Goku, gave you about Saiyans?"

Buu frowned. "What about it?"

"Do you remember what form of Super Saiyan I appear to be in now?" asked Vegetto, his voice almost casual.

Buu thought for a moment before a look of pure horror crossed his face. "T-t-t-he... f-f-irst one..."

Energy **ERUPTED** from Vegetto as his hair spiked even more rigidly and blue lightning cackled down his body. "Now tell me Buu, what one am I in now?"

Buu was terrified, he couldn't even respond.

"Let me help you with that, its the second one," said Vegetto before he flew at Majin Buu and gave the most severe beatdown the Earth had ever seen up to this point...

* * *

 _Thirty minutes later..._

"Not bad Buu, I thought you might have died after that last one," said Vegetto casually, stretching his arms into the air.

Buu laid on the ground, whimpering in horrific pain, not even able to rise to his knees. "S-s-stop..."

"I'm sorry, what was that?" asked Vegetto, leaning his head down and cupping a head to his hear.

"P-p-please... stop...," begged Buu.

"Hmm, I dunno, ten minutes ago when you asked me to stop, you tried to sneak absorb me," scolded Vegetto, "The only way this stops, Buu, is if you give me back my friends and family."

Vegetto aimed a hand at him. "So what's it going to be? Another round? I don't think you'll live through it. With how little ki you have left, Yamcha of all people could probably kill you now, Yamcha! Oh the shame, it's really kind of pitiful. Is this REALLY how you want it to end?"

Buu trembled fearfully. "I..."

Vegetto studied him for a moment. "Buu, I'll cut you a deal. Let me friends go, and I'll let you live. Go off and train for awhile, get stronger, than try your hand at me again? Deal?"

Buu looked at him, confounded. "W-what?"

Vegetto smirked. "Well, I'll need a decent sparring partner."

"This... this is some kind of trick!" said Buu, "You'd never let me..."

Vegetto raised a finger. "You have Piccolo's memories, right? Didn't Piccolo and Vegeta used to be enemies of the Earth? Goku let them live."

Buu mulled it over for a second he grimaced. His body began to contort and shrink a little. Buu spit four times, and there were four POP sounds heard before Trunks, Gohan, Goten, and Piccolo appeared on the ground, unconscious.

Vegetto smirked. "There, was that so hard?"

Vegetto looked up into the air at the demon woman staring down at them. "Say, what's your name?"

"Towa," replied Towa.

Vegetto nodded before looking down at Buu. "Well Buu, I lied. I kind of promised to let Towa kill you if she helped me out."

"W-what?!" exclaimed Buu.

Vegetto reached down, picked up the Majin, and held it in front of his face that contorted in a never before seen fury, gone was the playful mocking attitude he had before. "You KILLED, you ATE, you ABSORBED my family and friends! You butchered the entire planet without a care! You FORCED Vegeta and Kakarot to sacrifice their own existences! Your scum worse than Freeza or Cell! Kakarot might have given you a second chance, but I sure as hell wont! Towa, catch!"

Vegetto threw the Majin into the air, and in one swift motion, Towa obliterated it with a wave of her hand. Vegetto hardly felt satisfied by letting her kill it, but, he was a man of honor and his word. He shook his head, powered down, and walked over to his family, looking down at them for a moment.

He looked up at Towa and put two fingers to his forehead before spoke, his tone giving no room for objection, "Watch over them for a bit, I need to go to New Namek and fix the Earth and revive it's people. If they are harmed in any way when I'm gone, demon, I WILL find you. Are we clear?"

Towa scowled. "Fine, just make it quick."

 _ZIP_

* * *

 _One hour later..._

 _ZIP_

Vegetto reappeared next to his still unconscious family and stretched out his senses. He smirked, the first wish had been to repair the planet and undo all the damage done since Babidi's arrival. The second had been to revive everyone, except the very evil ones, who had died. The third one, well, that one was a surprise for the demon lady. He knew he didn't have too, but, he felt a he owed her a little bit more than just killing Buu. He owed his existence, and the survival of the universe to her magic.

He walked over and knelt down next to his family, grabbing Goten and Trunks, before putting them under his arms.

"Want to do me one more favor? Grab the other two and follow me," asked Vegetto.

Towa scowled for a moment before sighing. "Fine."

Vegetto began flying towards the lookout that had formerly been destroyed by Gotenks and Buu. Speaking of which, he'd need to scold those boys on their technique and battle mannerisms. They ought to have been able to do far better against that beast. Maybe not win, but they should have made it struggle far more than it did. And Gohan...

Vegetto scowled at the thought of the eldest son. Gohan could have won if he had gone all out at the start and not given Buu a chance to think up a plan. Then again, could he really blame him? Both Vegeta and Kakarot were both highly guilty of doing the same thing and letting their opponents power up or pull of some trick. To be frank, out of all of them, Vegeta held the most guilt of letting things spiral out of control. It really was beginning to become a curse for the Saiyan race. It was one he heavily considered stamping out. Outside of the fake show he had put on earlier to enrage Buu for absorption, it really served no purpose to toy with their enemies aside from satisfying themselves.

They reached the lookout and landed on the outskirts, setting the boys and Piccolo down as the others rushed down to meet them.

Videl panicked and rushed to Gohan. "Oh Gohan! Is he okay?"

Vegetto shrugged. "Should be fine, just give him a bit to wake up. Or get Dende to help them, either way."

18 walked over and looked at him. "Who are you?"

Vegetto held up a finger. "I'll explain when they wake up, I don't want to do this twice."

There was a pattering of feet that held an oddly familiar ring to it, he looked up, seeing Bulma walk over. She looked at him, a curious gleam in her eyes. Chi-Chi walked over and joined them, studying Vegetto as well. There were faint looks of recognition in their eyes.

"V...vegeta?" Bulma asked, a little confused.

"Goku?" said Chi-Chi, equally confused.

Vegetto hesitated, a uncertain feeling washing over him. Oh crap... Vegeta and Kakarot hadn't thought this far forward when they agreed to fuse. And while he had joked with Majin Buu about having two wives, he hadn't actually thought this far forward either. He... actually had no idea how he was supposed to handle this situation. How in the world were they going to react to him? To both Vegeta and Kakarot being gone, forever? A tightness entered his chest, and he would have rather have fought a hundred Majin Buus than deal with explaining this.

"As I said, I'll explain when they're awake," said Vegetto, his voice soft.

"If were done here Vegetto, I'll be on my way," said Towa.

He glanced back at her. "Stay for a bit."

She scowled at him. "I only came for my brother, and since he was killed, to see Buu dead. I have no reason to remain."

Vegetto repeated himself. "Stay for a bit."

She growled at him. "I do not appreciate my time being wasted."

Vegetto ignored her and looked over to see Dende had finally arrived carrying Mr. Saten and his dog. The man greeted his daughter in a fierce hug and sat down next to her a ways away. Dende healed the four unconscious warriors and woke them up.

Gohan looked around. "Where's Buu?"

"Dead," said Vegetto.

Gohan, Trunks, and Goten looked at him in confusion, he could feel them stretch out their senses to try to gauge him, and when they did, all three exclaimed. "Dad?!"

Goten, surprisingly enough, was the first to figure it out. "Oh! Oh! Trunks! Our dad's did the fusion dance!"

Trunks gave a start. "What? Really? Wow... I never thought Dad would ever do the dance."

Vegetto scowled and motioned to his ears. "He didn't. He and Kakarot fused with the Potara earrings."

"Pff," said Bulma, giggling a bit, "That scowl, he definitely got that from Vegeta."

Gohan looked at Towa with reservation. "Whose the lady? Her ki doesn't feel friendly..."

Towa gave him a foul look. "I'm not your friend. Vegetto and I were allies of convenience, nothing more, I don't know why he still wants me here."

"Vegetto huh?" said Goten, "That's a cool name!"

Vegetto smiled down at his son and reached out to ruffle his hair. "You think so? Thanks."

He turned to look at Towa, frowning. "I did want to talk to you a bit before you left, see if you knew if Babadi had any other friends and henchmen that I ought to go, deal with. You seemed to have some knowledge about him."

Towa shook her head. "No, he only kept his pets directly under his thumb and killed anyone else."

Vegetto smirked and held two fingers to his head. "Well, alright then, be right back."

He disappeared and reappeared a moment later, holding a very confused red demon by the collar of his cape before throwing him to Towa's feet. "I believe you were looking for this?"

Towa looked down at the demon in genuine surprise. "D-dabura?!"

Dabura looked up at her in surprise. "Towa? What are you doing here? How in the world did I get here?"

Gohan didn't look thrilled. "Dad, you brought him back to life? Was that really a good idea?"

Vegetto frowned at him. "As powerful as I am, I wouldn't have won against Buu without her help. I pay my debts."

He looked back to Towa, but rather than look happy, she looked absolutely pissed.

"DABURA!" she screamed at him in true, pure, mind numbing rage, "You FAILURE of a demon king! You let yourself be mind controlled by that pitiful wizard?! Your PITIFUL! I ought to skin you alive!"

She raised her hand, and a staff appeared in it. She brought it down and cracked hard on the demons head. To Vegetto's extreme amusement, Dabura began to scramble away in pain, fleeing from the blows that kept raining down on him.

"T-towa please wait a second!" stammered Dabura fearfully.

Vegetto watched Towa chase the 'demon king' across the lookout. "Yeah Gohan, I definitely think it was a good idea. This punishment might be worse than hell."

"Actually," said Videl, "He got sent up to heaven with us for some strange reason."

Vegetto thought for a moment before smirking. "Right, he's a demon. He'd probably have enjoyed hell. I gotta give King Yemma credit where credit is due, that's creative punishment."

Towa dragged Dabura by the ear back to Vegetto, he couldn't help but notice she actually seemed a little lost. "I'm not sure what I'm actually going to do with this cretin. But, I _suppose_ I should thank you. Its rare for a demon to be shown such a token of goodwill."

She looked at Vegetto, a smirk on her face. "I'm sure we will be meeting again at some point, demon-friend."

Vegetto nodded curtly, an amused look on his face. "Try to keep your brother on a tighter leash this time. If he crosses us again..."

He gave her a dark, warning look, his tone matching it. "He won't be coming back a second time."

Towa nodded. "But of course, you need not fret. If he gets himself possessed a second time... well..."

She gave an equally dark look to her brother. "I'll kill him myself."

With that, Towa and Dabura disappeared.

"Yeeeesh dad, that was kinda dark," said Gohan.

"Well Goku's fused with that brute Vegeta!" exclaimed Chi-Chi, "What do you expect?"

Bulma gave her a look. "Excuse me?"

Before either of them could go at it, Trunks and Goten separated them, both echoing, "Easy mom!"

Piccolo chose that moment to speak. "Vegetto. What happened during the fight? The last thing I remember was being covered in some pink goo."

Vegetto crossed his arms. "You, Goten, Trunks, and Gohan ended up being absorbed by Majin Buu, making him extraordinarily powerful. Vegeta was temporarily brought to Earth from otherworld to help in the battle. Kakarot was revived by the Elder Kaioshin. He Vegeta were outmatched and had no choice but to fuse in order to stop Majin Buu."

Chi-Chi scowled, her temper growing. "Kakarot? He's Goku! Goku! You could at least refer to part of yourself the right way!"

Vegetto scowled right back her. "Woman! I will refer to my, parent fusee, by his birth given name!"

Chi-Chi flinched a little. "Goku never calls me, woman, this must be Veget's awful influence!"

"Chi-Chi...," warned Bulma, her voice getting angry.

"Daddy daddy daddy!" exclaimed Goten, butting into the conversation, "Lets have a fusion fight before yours runs out! It will be awesome! Right Trunks?"

Trunks smirked. "I wouldn't mind testing him out. My dad probably wont ever fuse with yours again, so, its our only chance."

Vegetto's face fell. "Trunks... Goten..."

They looked at him. "What?"

Vegetto shook his head. "We can fight later if you want, but, I... have to say something important first."

Goten looked skeptical. "Later? But fusion doesn't last that long!"

Trunks elbowed him lightly. "Ours doesn't dummy! But that earring fusion might last longer. Who knows, we might get to fight with him the whole day!"

Vegetto closed his eyes, a pain expression on his face. Slowly, he reopened them. He could already see a flicker of understanding on some of the others faces. They saw the look on his face, they knew something wasn't right.

"Oh no," whispered Bulma, "V-vegetto... h-how... how long..."

Trunks looked up at Bulma for a second, confusion on his face. "Mom? What's wrong?"

Bulma gulped, her body trembling, before she steeled herself. "How long does the fusion last?"

Vegetto sighed. "It lasts forever."

There was a heavy, shocked silence.

"F-f-forever?!" exclaimed Trunks in disbelief.

"Oh wow that's cool!" exclaimed the clueless Goten, "Trunks we share the same dad, it's like were real brothers now!"

"G-goku...," choked Chi-Chi, drawing attention from the others.

She rushed at Vegetto and started hitting him, screaming. "GIVE ME MY GOKU BACK!"

Vegetto stood there, stricken, not sure what to do.

"Mom, stop!" said Gohan, gently grabbing her wrists and pulling her back.

"That's not my Goku!" sobbed Chi-chi, before she fell to her knees, "That's not..."

Vegetto cursed his fusees silently. For a moment, he wished he had inherited more of Goku's childish attitude and innocence, if only not to see Chi-Chi suffer...

"Wait!" exclaimed Chi-Chi suddenly, with excitement, "The dragonballs! We can use a wish to force the fusion to split!"

Vegetto's eyes narrowed, feeling a lot less sympathy all of the sudden. He knew she was grieving, but, he did not appreciate someone wanting him dead, nor that he was being called 'the fusion'. While he was conflicted about the mess unfolding before him, he had limits on his patience.

"For your information, woman, forever means forever. I've been told that nothing, whether it be the gods or magic, can undo it," said Vegetto, his voice a little icy.

Chi-Chi glared at, him, rising to her feet, and pointed a finger at him. "My name is CHI-CHI! Not woman!"

He glared right back and pointed a finger back at her. "And my name Vegetto! Not 'the fusion'!"

"Both of you! KNOCK IT OFF!" roared Bulma at the top of her lungs.

Both of them instantly separated.

Bulma approached Vegetto and pointed a finger in his voice. "I recognize that damn habit anywhere. I might have let Vegeta get away with it, but, YOU will refer to her, and me, as Chi-Chi and Bulma. Got it?"

Vegetto winced. "Y-yeah, got it."

There was a cackle of laughter from Master Roshi. "Fused or not, he's still whipped just like they were."

Vegetto glared at him. "You know, Vegeta wasn't fond of you, I might take after him in that regard."

Roshi winced and held up a hand. "J-just kidding."

An awkward silence filled the air, irritating Vegetto. Everyone was staring at him, he could see and feel so many conflicting emotions on their faces and in their ki. This had already gotten off to a bad start. Maybe he ought to leave for a bit and give them time to talk and think to themselves. He reflexively half turned, looking towards the sky in preparation to take off...

"Oh no you don't!" said Bulma.

Vegetto froze, like a deer caught in headlights.

"You are not pulling a Vegeta and waltzing out to go train or whatever the hell he does when he disappears for months on end!" shouted Bulma.

She walked up to him and put both hands on her hips. "You, mister, are going to stay right here!"

Vegetto stared at her for a moment before he smirked. "You know, I'm probably the most powerful..."

"Person in the entire universe?" finished Bulma, "What makes you think I give a damn, mister?"

"Vegetto," he replied sternly, "If your going to be Bulma, I'm going to be Vegetto, not 'mister'."

"Hmph," they both said, half turning away from eachother and crossing their arms.

"Deja vu," murmured Trunks quietly, his voice uncertain, but curious.

The boy frowned, turned to Goten, and whispered into his air. They both grinned and separated from the group.

"Fuuuu-sioooon-HAAAA!" they shouted, preforming the dance behind everyone's backs.

Gotenks appeared in a flash of light before stepping out of it and pointing towards Vegetto. "Alright mister supposedly powerful person in the universe! I'm here to take back the position that's miiineeee!"

Vegetto glanced over at the now fused children, not sure whether to be extremely grateful or extremely irritated at their timing. "Oh really?"

"Trunks, Goten," said Bulma thinly, "Are you seriously..."

"Galactic donought!" shouted Gotenks playfully.

Vegetto watched with amusement as a large ring of energy appeared around him and Bulma and began to shrink in... wait...

 _BULMA_

"IDIOTS!" roared Vegetto as he grabbed Bulma beyond the speed of light before the technique could accidentally hit her and teleported away. He set her down next to Gohan, teleported behind Gotenks, and slapped the back of his head hard, knocking him down to the floor and indenting it.

Gotenks weakly rose to his knee, clutching the back of his head painfully, tears in his eyes. "Owwww, daaaaaad!"

"YOUR MOTHER WAS RIGHT THERE!" roared Vegetto with fury, going Super Saiyan 2 in blind rage.

Gotenks stared at him in shock. "H-h-holy crap..."

"H-hey V-vegetto!" stammered Gohan, sounding like he was struggling, "I-it was an a-a-accident!"

Vegetto looked at him and then noticed the state the entire group was in. Out of them all, Gohan, Piccolo, and 18 were the only ones still on two feet. Everyone else had fallen to the ground and begun trembling. For a second he didn't understand what was going on before he realized the power and pressure he was exerting was the cause. He instantly relaxed back to his base state and mentally scolded himself. The power he held was _unreal_ compared to Vegeta or Kakarot, he had to hold back, an extreme amount, around the others.

Bulma rose to her feet warily. "I can't even sense energy but I sure felt THAT!"

"Sorry," said Vegetto, "Idiots tend to piss me off."

Gotenks bowed his head. "Sorry..."

"Stand up, back straight, arms at your side," barked Vegetto.

Gotenks immediately obeyed.

"Gotenks, Kakarot was watching your fight from the otherworld, and I have to ask...," began Vegetto.

"WHAT was that pathetic display?!" demanded Vegetto.

Gotenks winced. "W-well... Trunks and Goten..."

"Oh no you don't," scolded Vegetto, "That was YOUR decision. While you are made of them, you are not technically either of them, it was your choice. And that choice to fight with such utter childish arrogance had no place in that fight. You KNEW what he did to everyone and yet you still fought like that?"

Gotenks bowed his head, shame on his face. "Sorry dad..."

Vegetto sighed and put his hand on Gotenks shoulder. "Your going to have to work on reeling it in my son, sons. Which reminds me, speaking of sons, I'll be scolding those two after you defuse. So, you can look forward to them sharing in your misery."

Gotenks smirked a little at that. "Hee hee!"

"And speaking of sharing in that misery," he said, turning to give a hard look at Gohan.

Gohan sighed, a very pained look on his face. "I know, I screwed it up. I could have beaten Buu. Instead, I got them, myself, and Piccolo absorbed and... forced my father and Vegeta to give up their lives..."

Vegetto studied him for a moment. "Perhaps, but ultimately know this: We all screwed up, from damn near the moment this all began. For one, we never should have listened to the Kaioshin and let Babadi steal your energy at the tournament. For two, Vegeta really messed things up by..."

"Huh?" interrupted Gotenks, "What did dad do?"

Vegetto's heart skipped a beat. "You... weren't told?"

"V-veggeto wait!" exclaimed Bulma with worry.

Gotenks narrowed his eyes. "What happened? Tell me!"

Vegetto frowned. "..."

What in the world... was he supposed to do now? He closed his eyes for a moment before he slowly opened them. He wasn't Kakarot, he wasn't Vegeta, he wasn't going to white lie or skirt the issue.

"He blew away a portion of the stadium and killed everyone where the blast hit," said Veggeto with remorse.

Gotenks looked stricken. "H-he... he wouldn't... your lying!"

Bulma walked up and smacked Vegetto across his face. "WHY IN THE WORLD WOULD YOU TELL HIM?!"

"Why... why did he do it Vegetto?" demanded Bulma, her voice weakening.

"To get Kakarot to fight him," explained Vegetto.

Bulma looked at him in disbelief. "Are..."

"ARE YOU FUCKING SHITTING ME?!" screamed Bulma at the top of her lungs, causing everyone else but Vegetto and Gotenks to step back.

"That's stupid! Idiot Vegeta! Why would he do something so horrific for such a dumb reason?!" demanded Bulma.

"Because it was his last chance to settle the score with Kakarot, he'd never get another one," explained Vegetto.

"That doesn't make sense!" said Gotenks, "It IS dumb! Dad could just fight dad, er other dad, when he eventually died an old fart and went to the otherworld!"

"Vegeta would never get the chance, he'd have been sent straight to hell and never gotten a chance to fight Kakarot," explained Vegetto.

Gotenks grew confounded. "Hell? Why?! What did he do before the stadium? I've, er, Trunk's never seen him do a really bad thing in his entire life!"

Bulma put a hand on Vegetto's chest, she pleaded. "Please, don't..."

Vegetto held up a hand. "I will not coddle him. He has a right to know what his father did before he came to Earth. Or at least Trunks does. I will wait for the fusion to end, and I will explain it to him alone."

Bulma bowed her head. "Dammit Vegeta... why?"

Silence filled the air for the remainder of the fusion before they separated, and then Trunks and Vegetto walked silently into the inner parts of the lookout's palace.

* * *

Bulma paced back and forth in worry and concern. "Dammit Vegeta, dammit Vegetto... Trunks... oh Trunks, I don't know how he's going to react."

"Miss Bulma?" asked Goten, tugging on his dress, "What did Mr. Vegeta do that was so bad?"

Bulma winced and looked down at him. "W-well... he did a lot of... bad things... before he came to Earth. Some he was forced to do, others he did willingly."

"Oh," said Goten sadly.

Bulma sighed and said for the umpteenth time to herself. "Dammit Vegeta."

"So, what do you all think of... Vegetto?" asked Gohan with uncertainty.

"Bit of a temper, argues a lot, but he seems like a nice, honest guy, a bit brutally honest though," said Videl.

"Nice? Hmph, he's no Goku, he's not my Goku," muttered Chi-Chi, "I want nothing to do with him."

"He's a serious man, perhaps even more so than Vegeta at times," said Master Roshi.

"I don't really know yet," said Krillin, scratching the back of his head.

"With you there man," said Yamcha.

"He's a danger," said Piccolo flatly.

The group turned to stare at him.

Piccolo grew annoyed. "What? You all saw it, you all felt it. There isn't a force in this entire universe that I know of that can match that power. And speaking of power, need I also remind you that what you saw and felt was only Super Saiyan 2? He still has a full transformation above it. If he ever went rogue, there isn't anything any of us could do to stop him."

There was a heavy silence as they mulled those words over.

"That aside, consider this: If he had gone to Super Saiyan 3 in front of us when he was angry at Gotenks, half of you probably would have died from his lack of control of it. He has absolutely insane power, and I don't think he has a grasp of it yet," said Piccolo, "I FULLY intend to confront him about that later."

"He's not a bad man," countered Bulma, "He was only mad at Gotenks because he WAS being an idiot. The dragonballs are inert for awhile. I'd rather not spend a few months in otherworld if I don't have to."

"Sorry Miss Bulma," said Goten bashfully.

Bulma sighed. "It's okay Goten."

" _ **LIAR**_!" came a loud, horrid sobbing outburst from inside the lookout.

Bulma winced, hearing her son's voice. Of all the things she had thought were going to happen after came back to life, her son having a conversation about Vegeta's horrible past, was not one of them.

"Vegetto's putting a heavy burden on that young man," said Master Roshi solemnly

Bulma closed her eyes and silently cursed her husband for all of this. His past, temporarily leaving her while she was pregnant and caring for their infant child, for the hell he had put her through in their relationship, what he had done at the tournament, and finally, she cursed him for leaving her. Vegeta was gone, he was gone and he wasn't ever going to come back. He had ceased to exist after he fused with Goku, she wouldn't even be able to find him in the otherworld. It was just... it was a horrid pain in her heart...

For a time, the group just stood there and waited. Bulma couldn't help but wonder what they were still talking about inside. She had half expected to see Trunks run out and fly off in a tantrum. Instead, some time later, there came a soft footfall emanating from the depths of the palace. Bulma looked towards the entrance, expecting to see her son distraught, but instead, felt her heart melt a sight she had never seen before.

Vegetto walked out, Trunks at his side, holding the child's hand in his own, the boy looked up at man, heavy respect and admiration in his eyes, and said, "Dad?"

Vegetto looked down at him. "Yeah?"

"Thanks... for telling me the truth," Trunks said, his voice pained, but firm.

Vegetto merely nodded in response.

"Can we go home? I just... feel really tired right now," asked Trunks.

Vegetto hoisted the child up and placed on on his shoulder. "Sure Trunks."

Vegetto walked over to Bulma and offered his free hand. "Well, shall we go?"

Bulma stared at him wordlessly for a moment, feeling her heart flutter for a moment. Vegeta was gone, but, in his place stood someone that might be far better man, and if the look on her son's face said anything, a far better father. She stepped forward, took his hand, and they disappeared from the lookout...

* * *

 _Author's Notes:_

 _I decided to give some background chapters to this timeplane, to get you guys attached, and then riiiiip it all away. When Goku, Gohan, Vegeta, Pan, and Chronoa arrive there to do what they have to do, its gonna be awful :(._

 _This will be a multi-part background chapter to explain some of the differences that would happen in Dragonball Super with/without Vegetto along with Towa's influence over these events._


	32. In the Palm of a Demon (Part 2)

_**Potara - Chapter 32: In the Palm of a Demon (Part 2)**_

* * *

Vegetto sat a table on Bulma's luxurious cruise ship, sipping away at a glass of water. It was his wife's special day, her birthday/baby shower. Speaking of the birthday woman, he watched his wife walk around and talk to guests, one hand waving around, one hand clutching the very noticeable bump on her stomach.

He smiled faintly at the sight, he could still remember when Bulma had first broken the news of her pregnancy to him months ago. Of course he had already known, it was hard to miss two ki signals coming from the woman he slept next to, but he played along all the same for her enjoyment. He loved Trunks, Goten, and Gohan as if they were his own, and had been more than willing to take them on as their father in place of Vegeta and Kakarot. However, he did desperately want his own true flesh and blood.

He gave a glance around, everyone was here and seemed to be enjoying themselves, well... except for one person. He sighed and took another sip of his water. Chi-Chi wanted absolutely nothing to do with him. He had gone to her to talk a few days after he had left the lookout with Trunks and Bulma, but, she had refused to see him. She had yelled and screamed for him to get out. If he wanted to see Goten or Gohan, he had to meet them elsewhere.

It had made the time since then rather... unpleasant on occasion. There had been a few hiccups here and there. Piccolo had been especially wary of him and practically shoved him into the time chamber to make sure he had a handle on his power. Gohan had been a bit reluctant to accept him, especially since their first real interaction had been a spar that didn't end well for the young man. Everyone else was mostly just sad that Kakarot was gone, but, they respected and treated Vegetto well.

He smiled sadly, basically no one missed Vegeta. Even his own, former family, had been absolutely pissed at him. Bulma had felt betrayed by his actions and the reason for them at the tournament. Trunks had been absolutely crushed to hear what kind of things Vegeta had done as a member of the Planet Trade Organization. Both had warmed up to Vegetto almost immediately in the first few days he had lived with them. He had made it a point to treat them far better, in his mind, than Vegeta had done. Not that he didn't enjoy a argument with Bulma here and there, those were good fun. In the time since then...

He tilted his head back, feeling a little lost. How much time had it been to be honest? Sometimes he felt like it had been six months since then, other times he thought it had been years. Tch, Vegeta always had a strong sense of time. Kakarot? Not so much. Guess he knew where he inherited that from.

"Hey Vegetto my main man!" came Yamcha's voice.

Vegetto turned his head and nodded, motioning the man to sit down. "What's up?"

"Excited to be a daddy?" asked Yamcha.

Vegetto smirked. "Just a bit."

"Nervous?" asked Yamcha.

Vegetto tilted his head back. "At the moment, no, when the diapers start having to be changed, maybe. Fighting Buu would be easier than raising a child."

Yamcha gave a laugh. "I dunno, from experience, being turned into chocolate and eaten was kind of rough."

Vegetto grinned. "When he tried that on me, I turned into a jawbreaker and smacked him around. Let me tell you, THAT, was fun."

They both shared a laugh and-

 _"Hey! Hey Vegetto!"_ came a voice in his head.

Vegetto paused and looked up into the sky. "King Kai?"

Yamcha raised an eyebrow. "Eh? Getting a call? Guess even the gods want to wish you and Bulma well."

 _"Ignore him for a moment and listen! We got trouble, BIG trouble!"_ came King Kai's voice.

Vegetto's eyes narrowed, frustration coating his voice. "Seriously? Today of all days? What is it?"

Yamcha immediately frowned. "What's going on man?"

Vegetto held up a hand to silence him.

 _"I just got a visit from Beerus the Destroyer, he's on his way to Earth RIGHT NOW!"_ exclaimed King Kai.

"Beerus?" murmured Vegetto.

Where had he heard that name before? He flew through his memories quickly, an unease building. That name rang a bell, and not in a good way. Wait a second, there! He recalled Vegeta's memories of the God of Destruction, the way he humiliated the King of Vegeta for such a trivial thing as a pillow. From what little he knew, this God was insanely powerful, even back then, when Freeza had been the big deal, this God stood far above the tyrant.

"What does he want on Earth?" demanded Vegetto.

 _"He mentioned something about seeking a Super Saiyan God,"_ explained King Kai.

Vegetto raised an eyebrow. "The hell is that?"

 _"I don't know, but he's on his way to question you guys about it. PLEASE Vegetto, do NOT anger him! Even with how strong you are, he will destroy you if provoked! For the sake of the Earth, your friends, your family, and your unborn child, please DO NOT challenge him!"_ begged King Kai.

Vegetto frowned intently. "Hmm."

Piccolo walked over, noting the look on his face. "What is it?"

Vegetto stretched out his mind and teleconected to all of the Z-Fighters. _"Get over here, now."_

After they gathered, Vegetto spoke. "King Kai's told me were getting company. Beerus the Destroyer, the God of Destruction, is on his way to Earth. Under no circumstance are you to anger him. From what I remember of him from Vegeta's youth, he gets upset over the most trivial of matters, even spilling over a drink on him would make him want to blow up the world."

"Sound's like a big jerk," said Bulma with annoyance.

Vegetto shot her a look. "Reel in your tongue today Bulma."

"Why are you acting so concerned dad?" asked Trunks, "I mean, you can take him, right?"

Vegetto lowered his gaze to Bulma's baby bulge. "Maybe, maybe not. But I'm not intentionally risking it."

Bulma blushed a bit and gave him a look of pride. "Well well well, there's my responsible man. Alright, when Beerus get's here, we'll treat him as a guest of honor."

"Oh? I'm expected? AND a guest of honor? I wish more planets would give me such respect on demand," came a voice from above them.

They all glanced up to see a tall, thin, and purple cat-man with Egyptian looking clothes floating down towards them. At his side was a pale man with a staff, a halo around his head, and elegant looking clothes. The group made room for the two as they landed.

The pale man introduced them. "Greetings, I am Whis, and this is Lord Beerus. I am his attendant."

Beerus gave him a look before turning to Vegetto. "Can it Whis. If you all knew I was coming then you know why I'm here. What do you know about a Super Saiyan God?"

Vegetto slowly shook his head. "I've been thinking it over since King Kai told me, but, I've never even heard of it before. I know all about regular Super Saiyans, but nothing about a Super Saiyan God."

Beerus looked rather displeased, a dark look entering his eyes. "Oh? Is that right? That's most... unfortunate."

"A moment Lord Beerus," said Whis, leaning forward to study Vegetto.

"He is a Potara fusion," stated Whis, "The Potara is a fusion of the gods, perhaps then he is the god the Oracle Fish spoke of?"

An almost eager look crossed Beerus's face. "Oh? Well now I'm rather interested. Perhaps Super Saiyan God is more of a description than an actual title. I'm rather eager to test your strength, I was told I would get a good fight."

Vegetto frowned for a moment. "So you want to fight?"

"Of course," said Beerus casually.

Everyone around them tensed.

"I'll agree on one condition," said Vegetto.

"Oh? And what is that?" said Beerus with amusement.

"That my family, friends, and the planet are not harmed in the fight, and that you will not destroy the planet afterwords," replied Vegetto.

Beerus made a distasteful face. "Oh must it always be the end of the world with you people? I don't destroy every planet I go to unless they give me a damn reason too. If you can give me a half decent fight, or have something else I might want, I wont blow up your planet, how's that?"

Vegetto nodded and stood up. "Agreed."

"I will shield this ship if it would make things easier," offered Whis.

Vegetto nodded to him and floated up high into the air, Beerus following. "So, you want to warm up or get down to it?"

Beerus gave him a look. "I did not come here for a 'warm up', fight me seriously."

Vegetto nodded and ascended to Super Saiyan 2. "Alright then!"

Beerus raised an eyebrow and sized him up. "Hmm, not bad I suppose, though, not nearly as good as I would have expected."

Vegetto narrowed his eyes. Not good as he expected? Just how strong was Beerus? He shook his head and decided to take the offensive. He rushed forward and threw a right hook. As expected, Beerus dodged it easily. What wasn't expected was when Beerus disappeared and Vegetto couldn't track him at all.

"I can't feel his ki?" questioned Vegetto.

"It means, unfortunately for you, that your not a god," said Beerus from behind him, his voice coated with disappointment.

Vegetto whirled around, preemptively raising his arms to take a hit. Beerus was already kicking and slammed into Vegetto's arms. The man rocketed back, cringing in pain. Okay, so, this guy hurt, even when in Super Saiyan 2, no need to panic yet...

Before he could recover Beerus came at him from below, knocking him up further into the air. Beerus appeared above him and slammed an elbow into his stomach, knocking him all the way down and into the ocean. He floated on the surface, wincing painfully. Okay, full panic time. This guy was making a joke out of him.

"If its any consolation, your doing well for a mortal to have taken even three of my hits and still be in fighting condition, let alone not have died," complimented Beerus.

Vegetto pushed off the surface and floated a ways from the God of Destruction. He had to admit, this was literally his second time in a real battle in his own life, but unlike the first time where he had absolutely destroyed Buu, the reverse was happening. He couldn't help but grin a bit, nervousness and excitement fighting for control of him.

He cracked his neck to the right, and then to the left. "Alright then, I guess its time to go full force."

"I thought I told you to fight me seriously," said Beerus with annoyance.

"Sorry, I wanted to keep something in reserve, just incase," replied Vegetto casually, before his tone took a serious dive, "I underestimated you, it wont happen again."

Beerus smirked. "See that it wont."

"HAAAAAAAAA!" screamed Vegetto, throwing his arms out to the side.

Pillars of water erupted from the ocean below him, blowing high up into the air. Clouds above them began to race and condense. Huge gusts of wind, tidal waves of water began to churn violently below him. Slowly, Vegetto's muscle mass increased, his hair grew to great lengths, and his eyebrows all but disappeared.

Vegetto finished his transformation. "Super Saiyan 3."

"3 eh? I'll admit, that power is extraordinary for a mortal, I'll give you cred...," began Beerus.

Vegetto surged forward and drove an elbow into Beerus's skull, sending him flying back. Vegetto rushed after him and throw a heavy two handed hit towards his stomach. Beerus disappeared before the blow could land and reappeared next to him, wagging a finger.

"Interrupting a speaking god? Someone need's to be punished," mocked Beerus.

A purple aura of power appeared around Beerus before he slammed a fist onto the top of Vegetto's skull, knocking him far below and deep into the ocean. Vegetto cringed underwater, pain rocketing from his head and down his spine, his lungs burning without air. He shook his head and rushed back to the surface, exploding out of the water.

"Well now, you took that hit fairly well, and that was a decent chunk of my power, shame that I don't think you could take more than a few more hits at this level," said Beerus sadly.

"Well, then lets end this with a bang," snarled Vegetto.

He threw his hands out to his sides, gathering huge amounts of energy. "Final..."

He condensed the energy, and cupped his hand's to one side before thrusting them forward. "Kamehameha!"

Energy erupted from his hand, released a destructive blue beam coated, its outsides keeping the energy of a final flash condensed around it in a spiral almost like a special beam cannon. Beerus's face grew serious, he braced himself, and threw his hands forward to catch the energy wave.

Vegetto's eye's bulged. "No way!"

He ground his teeth and gave everything he had, pouring every ounce of ki he could must down the beam. "HAAAAAA!"

One final pulse of energy rushed down the beam and hit Beerus, causing a huge explosion that sent the God of Destruction flying off into the distance. Vegetto gave one huff, two huffs, and then lost his Super Saiyan 3 and plummeted down towards the ocean. He gave a start when Whis suddenly appeared, caught him, and brought him back to the boat.

"You okay dad?!" exclaimed Trunks.

"That was awesome!" yelled Goten, "I wanna learn how to do a 'Final Kamehameha'."

Vegetto took a moment to catch his breath before speaking, "M... maybe... when your... older..."

"I'll admit, that was impressive," came a voice from above.

Everyone looked up to see Beerus, coated with a little bit of scuff and scorch marks, descend to land next to Whis. "Not bad mortal, not bad at all. Few are the ones that can force a God of Destruction to even muster ten percent of their power, let alone over a quarter."

Vegetto winced. That wasn't an accurate count of power, but, he didn't even make Beerus use half of his strength? Damn...

"What is it with this planet and drawing intergalactic super powers to it to fight one another?" said Bulma with chagrin.

There was a chorus of laughter, even Beerus gave a chuckle, seeming amused by it all. "Now..."

His voice turned cold. "Since that fight was ultimately a disappointment and couldn't even last ten minutes, I think I'll blow up your planet unless you have something satisfactory for me."

A deathly silence filled the air.

"Well Lord Beerus, while you were fighting, I tried some of their food at the buffet and I must say it is absolutely delectable," said Whis.

Beerus's eyes went wide and his mouth began to water. "Delectable, did I hear that right?!"

Bulma pointed over towards the buffet. "Uh... right over there. You can have all the food you want if you wont blow up our planet, we'll even give you a few capsules full to take home with you!"

Drool began to slide down his chin. "If that food is as good as Whis says, you have yourself a deal!"

They all watched as Beerus rushed over to the buffet and tore into it in a way that could make a Saiyan jealous.

Krillin put his hands behind his head. "Well, alls' well that ends well, right guys?

* * *

Towa watched the scene through her crystal ball at a table with other Towas, her rage building. "Useless..."

She stood up and screamed, "USELESS! They didn't even do the God Ritual! He hardly fought Beerus long enough to even get a taste of god ki in his system! This whole thing was a waste of time!"

"Perhaps, but, we don't have an actual clue to the full extent of his potential as his own being rather than a one time fusion," said one of the other Towas, "Even as a mortal, if he trained and pushed himself, he could maybe kill either Goku, Vegeta, or Gohan. If nothing else he could kill the wretched Kai or the little bitch."

Towa calmed briefly. "Hmm, I'll fast forward time a bit in that timestream, perhaps Freeza will give him a wakeup call if Beerus didn't..."

* * *

Bulma and Vegetto sat at their kitchen table, BOTH of them drinking coffee. Vegetto rarely did this, but, even he had his limits when it came to one certain screaming infant keeping them up night after night. He had even tried taking a nap about an hour earlier after lunch, to no avail. And speaking off that baby...

The house rattled a little. "WAAAAAAAAAAHHHHH!"

Bulma groaned. "Okay, your turn with the hyper powered baby."

Vegetto smirked, grabbed a bottle of warm baby formula they had been preparing, and put two fingers to his forehead. He teleported next to his wailing baby's crib and glanced down in it. Resting on her back and rocking back and forth wailing was a tiny little girl with a mess of purple hair on her head with pink baby clothes that read "BULLA" on them.

"Hey there squirt," said Vegetto.

The baby looked at him, looked at the bottle, stopped wailing, and held out her tiny hands, whimpering softly.

Vegetto reached in and gently picked her, up, nestling her in his arms. He offered her the bottle and she immediately brought it to her lips and starting sucking. He teleported back to the kitchen, sighting Bulma already putting the next of a long line of baby formula bottles into the microwave to heat up. Their child, Bulla, might be half human, but her intake was definitely Saiyan.

He watched her take down one bottle at a time, an amused look on his face. "Someones hungry aren't you? Yes you are my mighty little girl. I wish Raditz was here so you could beat him up!"

Bulma slowly shook her head. "I still don't think its a good thing she's that strong as a baby."

Vegetto smirked and looked down at the tiny little terror in his arms. She hadn't done anything major yet, aside from accidentally knocking Bulma down once and breaking her crib and toys several times, but, Bulla was an unusually strong baby. She was no Broly, that was for sure, but, she had a power level of what he thought was a bit stronger than Raditz. He had a hunch it might have to do with the fact she was the child of a two god fused Super Saiyans. It amused him, greatly, to think of his little baby beating the crap out of Raditz. He almost wished he could go to hell, temporarily, just to rub it in that annoying weakling's face.

"Hey mom, hey dad, so how's my tiny terror of a sister doing today?" asked Trunks as he walked into the kitchen.

"I dunno, ask her," said Vegetto, throwing a wink at Bulla and making a squeeze motion with his hand.

The baby stopped sucking on her bottle and pulled it out of her mouth, aiming it around Vegetto's side. The moment Trunk's head came into view she squeezed and sent a shot of baby formula into his face. Immediately Bulla started squealing and giggling innocently none-stop.

There was a roar of laughter between Bulma, Vegetto, and Bulla all at Trunks expense before all of the sudden light stopped coming through the kitchen window. Vegetto grew curious and looked out the window.

"It's miday, but dark outside," he murmured, "Who the heck is using the dragonballs?"

He focused intently, he immediately pinpointed and located each and every one of his friends and family. None of them were really gathered together like they usually did when they went to summon the dragon. He shifted tactics, attempting to locate unusual ki signals. It took him a minute, but he found two distinctly un-earthling like ki signatures. Both were dark.

He held Bulla out to Bulma, his voice serious. "Take her, now, I have to go."

Bulla noted his tone and began to whimper, Trunks narrowed his eyes. "Whats going on dad?"

Bulma took the baby and began to gentle rock and burp her. "There there Bulla, there there."

Vegetto put two hands to his forehead. "Someones using the dragonballs, and they are not our friends. I'll be back."

 _ZIP_

"I WISH FOR YOU TO BRING FREEZA BACK TO LIFE!" came the roar of a voice before Vegetto could even register where he had teleported to.

Vegetto's eyes went wide with surprise, sighting two soldiers in Planet Trade Organization armor in front of the dragonballs. Of all the things to wish for, they wished for THAT? Guess things in space weren't going well for the organization. Of course, he didn't care, at all, but, at least he got to kill Freeza himself, that ought to be a bonus.

He watched, in extreme amusement, as bits and pieces of Freeza's cut up body rained from the sky and landed infront of the alien. "Oh, this just got even better."

Before the aliens could react, Vegetto put two ki blasts through their heads and dropped them. Vegetto walked up to the bits and pieces of Freeza and started zapping them, one by one, humming a tune to himself. He loved his daughter dearly, but, this was great therapy after having to deal with a crying Bulla for so long. He finally came to a stop, sighting only one eye remaining, staring up at him in fear.

"That's right Freeza, your going right back to hell where you belong," said Vegetto with a grin, "I'll be making sure you stay there this time. I'm keeping a ball with me at all times from now on."

With one final zap of ki, Vegetto killed Freeza.

" **STATE YOUR SECOND WISH**!" came the roar of the dragon.

Vegetto looked up. "Hmm."

His eyes went wide as an idea struck him. "I wish for an bottle of warm baby formula that will always refill when empty and is always warm!"

 _POP_

A bottle of baby formula fell out of the air and he caught it. "Awesome, and Bulma calls herself the genius."

"YOUR WISH HAS BEEN GRANTED, FAIR THEE WELL!" roared the dragon before vanishing.

The dragonballs began to rise into the air and shoot off. Vegetto followed one's trajectory, teleported, and caught it, before teleporting back to Capsule Corporation.

He handed over the petrified dragonball to Trunks. "Go hide this somewhere."

Trunks took it and asked. "What happened?"

"Eh, nothing much, just some idiot aliens who wanted to revive Freeza," said Vegetto casually, moving to take Bulla from Bulma.

Bulma stared at him for a moment, blinking a few times, before she erupted. "WANTED TO REVIVE WHO?!"

* * *

Towa slammed her head into the table and groaned with frustration. "This is not going anywhere as expected."

"Well, all you did was interfere once in the timestream, perhaps you need to be a little more hands on?" suggested another Towa.

Towa scowled at her. "And what exactly do you suggest?"

The other Towa smirked. "What demons do best, a bit of lies, mixed with a bit of truth, our dear friend called treachery..."

* * *

"Daddy daddy daddy!" came the excited voice of the four year old Bulla.

Vegetto set down the vegetables and knife he was cutting with and turned in time to catch his daughter flying at him, tackle hug style. "Hey there squirt."

"I'm not squirt, my name's Bulla!" pouted Bulla.

He stuck his tongue at her and she returned the favor before giggling. "Hey daddy, a pretty blue lady wanted me to come and get you!"

Vegetto raised an eyebrow. "Pretty blue lady?"

"Ahuh, she was real pretty and has a red dress on. Though, she talks kind of mean," said Bulla with a miniature version of his own scowl on her face.

Vegetto had a hunch who she was talking about and confirmed with his senses. "Towa huh? Been quite a few years since I last saw her."

"Is she your friend?" asked Bulla.

Vegetto hesitated. "Friend... is a strong word. I know her, and that's about it. Go get your mother and brother, okay?"

Bulla nodded and hopped down. "K'ay daddy!"

Vegetto watched her go before frowning and heading for the front door. What in the world did that demoness want? She had said they'd be meeting again at some point, but, it had been years since Majin Buu and he had written her off. If she was back, it wasn't for a friendly visit. As much as his blood boiled for action, for a challenge, he was not willing to succumb to it if it would threaten his family's safety.

He walked outside and took note of Piccolo keeping an eye on Towa who was pacing back and forth on their lawn. He noticed that Towa had a rolled up parchment in her hand, strangely enough.

He crossed his arms and called out. "Towa."

She turned and scowled at him. "It's about time, you always seem to keep me waiting."

"What do you want?" he said, his tone not friendly.

She held up the parchment in her hand. "To deliver a warning."

He narrowed his eyes. "Are you threatening me?"

She glared at him. "No, I'm delivering a warning that you can use to prepare, or choose to ignore and get yourself killed, your choice."

Vegetto raised an eyebrow and stared at her. "And I'm expected to believe this is out of the goodness of your heart?"

She laughed. "Oh please, don't insult me. I'm a demon, I'm doing this to save my own ass, not yours."

Vegetto slowly shook his head. "Figured. One second, I'm getting the others."

Vegetto put two fingers to his forehead and began to instant transmission back and forth, grabbing the rest of the Z-Fighters until they were all gathered.

"Well? Were waiting, this had better be good," said Vegetto with impatience.

Towa cleared her throat. "Seers of the demon realm have spoken and written a prophecy concerning the end of time..."

"Pff, an doomsday warning? Oh the humanity," mocked Yamcha.

"Let her speak," said Krillin, "I get the feeling she's being serious."

She glared at Yamcha. "Because I am!"

She unrolled the scroll and began to read. "At near the end of a decade, warriors from another time shall come. Led by a cruel god, these warriors, those who have destroyed time across many worlds, shall come seeking to destroy our universe. Among their number are two halves of a greater whole who resides on the world known as Earth. They shall seek him out and do battle, their godly power against his righteous might. On that day, the fate of time itself will be decided. Should they prevail, our world will end, and time itself will come to a stop, and they shall continue on to destroy many more worlds. Should they be stopped, our world will live, it will live on, and on, and on..."

She rolled up the scroll and nodded curtly. "I've delivered the seer's warning, do with it what you will."

They all stood there, silent, as the demoness disappeared.

"Two halves of a greater whole," murmured Piccolo.

"She couldn't possibly mean Goku and Vegeta, could she?" asked Krillin.

"Even if she did, there's no way that's right, Goku wouldn't go around destroying timelines," said Bulma, "Vegeta? I wouldn't put it past him, but Goku? No way."

Vegetto crossed his arms, collecting his thoughts while studying the reactions of the other.

"If they are from another timeline, they might have lived different lives than us, became different people," suggested Gohan.

"I'm not sure," said 18, "Two halves of the whole would suggest they are the same halves."

Trunks frowned. "Even IF they are Goku and Vegeta, there's no way they could match my dad. He's way stronger than either of them were by themselves."

"If that were the case, then why would she even bother warning us?" said Krilin, "I mean, she kind of made it seem like it was a toss up on who'd win."

Vegetto nodded his head. "Agreed. There's a phrasing in her warning that has me wary. 'Their godly power', it rings a bell with something Beerus said when he was here four years ago. Super Saiyan God. Are they somehow these gods?"

There was another minute of silence before Piccolo spoke. "Considering the last time we got such a warning was with Future Trunks, and that turned out to be at least partially true, I suggest we believe it and start training."

There was a roll of head nods before Vegetto felt a pull on his legs and he looked down to see Bulla tugging on him, a scared look on her face. "Daddy, are bad people coming to hurt us?"

Vegetto flinched at her words and knelt down to pick and lift her up, holding her protectively. "Not if I can help it..."

* * *

 _Authors Notes/Trivia:_

 _I left it intentionally vague as to the time elapsed between Part 1 and 2 because I tried googling the time between the Buu Arc and Battle Of Gods/Dragon Ball Super and got conflicting information. Soooo, let that be a nod to the inconsistency._

 _Vegetto VS Beerus: I used the 'Rage Vegeta 10%' as a basis to decide how Vegetto would do. Forcing Beerus to use over a quarter of his power without having god ki is a very impressive feat, but, he still stood 0% chance of winning._

 _The Bulla infant strength thing was a friendly nod towards Dragonball Multiverse fan-comic, which was actually the inspiration for this Timeplane. Though, this Vegetto is far different, and Bulla won't be remotely close to comparable to that Bra's power when the actual fighting starts, :P._

 _I'm not quite sure if I want to do a Part 3 of In the Palm of a Demon, to show their training/progress, and maybe to show a bit of Bulla growing up, or is this a good place to leave off and just get right down to buisiness. What do you guys think?_


	33. Inner Demons

_**Potara - Chapter 33: Inner Demons**_

Pan sat on the ground next to her father, waiting for Grandpa to finish eating before they moved to the next timeplane. "So, how exactly are we ever going to stop Towa? She's never around for the fighting, and only shows up when we can't get at her."

Gohan nodded. "It'll be a pain. We need to wait for the right moment to put an end to this."

There was a loud belch and Pan shot her Grandpa a look. "Grandpa! Manners!"

Goku gave her an innocent smile. "Oops, sorry."

They all rose to their feet and looked to Chronoa who nodded at them. "Alright, everyone's fed, healed, and has their strength back. Let's move."

Chronoa held up the White Time Ring, and in a flash of light, they disappeared from the time-frozen world and reappeared on another. Pan took in the area with a glance. They were floating above Capsule Corporation. Below them, sitting at a table talking, was another Gohan, Bulma, Piccolo, and... Bra?

Pan looked the girl over. She looked a bit older than Pan was, maybe thirteen or fourteen. Unlike the Bra she had grown up with, this one was physically strong. Her ki, even in a rested base state wasn't half bad. She wore a blue and orange gi similar to the Gohan sitting next to her. Her purple hair was tied in a ponytail behind her. She seemed to be talking seriously about something.

"Huh, if I didn't see another me I'd wonder if we had gone home," murmured Gohan.

Vegeta crossed his arms and looked down, speaking softly. "Something is strange about my daughter in this timeplane."

Pan blinked a few times and looked at Vegeta. The man looked a little unnerved. There was a conflicted and very unhappy look in his eyes. Pan looked back and forth between him and Bra before she figured it out. This wasn't something that was going to happen out of sight, ending this timeplane would kill his daughter right in front of him, and his wife too. He may play the tough guy all the time, but she knew he did care for his family, even if they were from another timeplane. A warning bell sounded in Pan's mind, what Bardock had warned Vegeta about rang clear to her. She decided if it came down to it, she'd have to be the one to end things here. She didn't want to let 'it destroy who Vegeta was' as Bardock had said.

Vegeta growled in agitation before speaking. "Lets get this over with. Kai, is my daughter the distortion?"

Chronoa held up her hand, lowered the time shield around them, and released a pulse of energy. To Pan's relief, Bra did not show any gray energy, she was different, but she wasn't the source of the distortion.

Chronoa grew confused. "I don't feel the distortion anywhere. Strange."

Pan wasn't paying attention to her, she was looking down at the Other Gohan, Piccolo, Bulma, and Bra. They had taken note of them after Chronoa had lowered the shield. The four of them were looking at them with a mixture of apprehension, fear, and anger.

"I don't think were welcome here," said Pan with uncertainty.

"Hmph," said Vegeta, "Looking at them, I have a hunch were expected."

Vegeta descended and landed on the ground, the rest of them following suit.

Bra rose from the table, fury on her face. "So, here at last huh? Ten years, we've been waiting ten years for you bastards to show up!"

"Bulla, don't do anything brash," warned the Other Gohan, "Wait for dad."

Pan raised an eyebrow. "Bulla? Not Bra?"

Bra, er, Bulla, gave her an infuriated look. "My name is Bulla! And YOU have no right to speak to me! Your not the Pan I know, you hardly feel like her! If your helping those timeline murdering bastards, then your a monster and are no friend of mine!"

Pan couldn't help but flinch and look away at those words. "I..."

The Other Gohan looked at Pan, a conflicted look on his face, before he turned to look at Gohan, anger in his voice, "You brought your daughter along to murder entire timelines?! What kind of scum are you?"

Gohan crossed his arms. "More like she invited herself, excuse me if we didn't know what we were getting into before we started."

That only pissed off the Other Gohan more. "Yet you still continue? Why?"

"Because its us or you," said Vegeta flatly, "Your timeplane endangers us. It's nothing personal."

Bulma took that moment to speak, rage coating her voice, "Nothing personal? You think murdering us is nothing personal!? Your even worse than I remember! At least when I last saw you, you had the excuse of being possessed when you blew away the tournament stadium, even if you had willingly let yourself be controlled. Now? Your a monster!"

Vegeta looked hurt for a moment before he grew confused, looking back and forth between Bulma and Bulla. "If that was the last time you saw me... then who is her father?"

Bulma spit at him. "Someone who is a far better man, and a far better father than you ever were."

Pan could see the pain on Vegeta's face. He visibly looked wounded at those words.

"You bastard!" came a familiar voice.

Pan turned to see Trunks surge from Capsule Corporation's entrance right at Vegeta, ascending to Super Saiyan 2 and attacking. Vegeta ascended as well and began to block and defend himself, but did not counter attack.

"You mass murdering, planet purging, innocent torturing bastard!" screamed Trunks, "You lied to me about your entire damn life!"

Even more pain and conflict crossed Vegeta's face. The struggle continued briefly before Vegeta finally got control of himself, masking his emotions, and backhanded Trunks to the ground. Trunks hit and skidded along painfully before rising to his feet.

"Enough!" shouted the other Gohan, "Trunks! Get to the lookout and get your father out of the timechamber! NOW!"

Trunks hesitated briefly before nodding, spitting in Vegeta's direction, and taking off into the air.

"Time chamber? Well, that's probably why I couldn't feel the distortion if he's in another dimension," mused Chronoa.

"And what about you, 'dad', is this just 'nothing personal' for you too?" shouted the Other Gohan at Goku.

Goku said nothing, but, his eyes shone with uncertainty and pain.

"Damn that Towa," muttered Pan, "She did this just to really screw with us."

The Other Gohan turned to her. "The Demoness? What does she have to do with this?"

"Everything," replied Pan scornfully.

Before the Other Gohan could reply, Bulla stepped forward and cracked her knuckles. "You know, if that's how strong Vegeta is, we've got nothing to worry about. Dad will crush these guys. I don't know about you, but I want a piece of them first."

Vegeta beckoned her forward. "Oh? Is that so? By all means then, show your father your strength."

Anger and hatred played across her face. "You are NOT my father! You and your little group turned our entire damn lives upside down the moment Towa warned us about you! We used to be happy! Now all we do is brood, bitch at eachother, and train to kill YOU!"

Bulla's power exploded around her and she ascended to Super Saiyan 2. She blitzed forward and smashed a fist into Vegeta's chin, sending him rocketing back. Pan watched her surge past their group and chase Vegeta down before knocking him into the air and pursuing him once more. They began to rapidly trade blows.

Pan did a quick power gauge and bristled a bit. Their ages were similar, but Bulla was quite a bit stronger than she was. But, if they really had been training for near ten years, then she guessed that was to be expected. She herself had only really had the last four years to grow in strength. Still, while Bulla was strong, she was no Vegeta.

Bulla swung a leg at Vegeta's side. He took the hit, winced, and then pinned the leg against his side, holding her in place. She swung her other leg, Vegeta caught it in his other hand. Bulla smirked, threw her hands to the side and rapidly gathered energy.

"FINAL FLASH!" she shouted, bringing her hands together and aiming them point blank at Vegeta's face.

Vegeta spun himself down and kicked Bulla upwards, throwing off her aim and sending the energy blast into the sky. He rushed towards the ground, grabbing Bulla's foot along the way. She gave a yelp of surprise as they surged downwards. Vegeta landed and swung Bulla down, slamming her into the ground and causing the world to shake and crack around them.

Bulla winced painful before thrusting an arm forward and sending a burst of energy at Vegeta. He threw himself back and out of the way before coming to a stop and waiting. Bulla pulled herself up and off the ground, glaring at Vegeta. The two of them stood at a standoff.

 _BOOM_

The two of them exploded at eachother and connected their fists, sending out a shockwave that shattered all the windows in Capsule Corperation. Bulla grabbed Vegeta's arm and hooked a leg behind his and tripping him. As he fell, she dug her feet into the ground and swung him overhead and towards the ground. Rather than let her slam him down, Vegeta planted his feet down, grabbed her arm with his own, and lifted her off the ground, spinning her around and throwing her. She hit the ground, rolling and slamming through a fence. She burst off the ground and floated in the air a bit above them all, breathing in and out slowly. Bulla narrowed her eyes and cupped her hands to her side.

"Kaaa...," began Bulla.

Vegeta's eyes went wide in disbelief for a moment before scowling. "Really? You use that clown's move?"

"Mee...," continued Bulla.

Vegeta crossed his arms. "I'm disappointed."

"Haa...," continued Bulla.

"Bulla! Your aiming AT the ground!" warned the other Gohan.

"Mee...," continued Bulla.

Suddenly, Bulla disappeared from sight. Pan had only a brief moment to note Bulla suddenly reappear at ground level, right in front of Vegeta, half crouching.

"HAAAAA!" screamed Bulla, thrusting her hands forward before Vegeta could react.

The energy wave ripped forward and completely engulfed Vegeta. The blast blew away half of the Capsule Corp building and shot off into the distance. Pan had a brief spike of fear as she lost any sense of Vegeta's ki. The fear faded as the energy wave did. Vegeta still stood there, but instead of the glow and lightning of a Super Saiyan 2, he glowed blue with the power of a Super Saiyan God.

Bulla's eyes went wide. "What... is this?!"

Vegeta drove a fist into her stomach. "The power of a god."

Bulla's eyes bulged, a bit of blood sprayed out of her mouth, she lost her aura, her hair fell back to normal, and she collapsed on the ground at Vegeta's feet, struggling to stay conscious. "D-damn..."

Vegeta studied the girl for a moment before nodding slowly. "Impressive. Using the Instant Transmission with the Kamehameha Wave, I haven't seen that done since Cell. Shame you forced me to end it so quickly, I would have wanted to see more of what you were capable of."

Vegeta took a step forward, pausing momentarily when Bulma screamed. "DON'T HURT HER!"

Vegeta scowled at her and began to lower his hand...

 _ZIP_

 _LATCH_

A man appeared suddenly and grabbed Vegeta's wrist, surprising everyone. Pan took in the sight of him, not sure what she was seeing. He had cloths on that looked like a mix of Grandpa's Gi and Vegeta's none-armor training outfit. On his ears were earrings. His hair was strangely spiky, almost a mix of Vegeta and Grandpa's. His ki felt very familiar, akin to Grandpa and Vegetas. Everything about him seemed so familiar to those two, she couldn't figure it out.

Vegeta himself was staring at the man in shock. "Vegetto?!"

The man, Vegetto, gave a roar, turned Super Saiyan 2, and to Pan's shock, threw Vegeta into the air and away from Bulla. Pan took a fearful step back. His power was unlike _anything_ she had ever felt before. Even the evil version of her father they had met several timeplanes back was _nothing_ compared to this man.

Vegetto knelt down and fished a senzu bean out of the pouch attached to his waist and put it into Bulla's mouth. There was a *crunch crunch* before she recovered and took an offered hand. Vegetto helped her to her feet.

Immediately he scolded her. "Bulla! What did I say?! I told you if they appeared you were NOT to engage them!"

She winced and looked down. "Sorry dad..."

Vegetto shook his head and pointed towards the Other Gohan, Bulma, and Piccolo. "Take the Senzu Beans and go, now. Keep your mother safe. Piccolo, I want you to telepathically tell all the others to steer clear of here, I'll handle this."

Vegetto handed her the bean bag and Bulla walked off. Vegetto turned to face them, looking over Gohan, Pan, Goku, and Chronoa while keeping an eye on Vegeta who had landed a ways from them. Pan noted how stunned Grandpa was, and wary Gohan looked. Even Chronoa looked dumbstruck to see this 'Vegetto'.

"Who is that?" Pan asked.

Gohan glanced down at her. "Dad told me about him, he's a temporary Potara Fusion between dad and Vegeta."

"Permanent," corrected Vegetto.

Pan looked back and forth between them, not understanding at all. She got that he was a fusion, like Gotenks was, but, she felt a bit confused. Dad had said temporary, but the fusion said permanent. Which one was it?

"Hmph, I'm not sure how you exist, but it answers one question. Bulla is your daughter then," said Vegeta, "I'll admit, you trained her well."

Vegetto scowled at him. "I don't need your compliments, butcher."

Vegeta scowled right back. "Call me what you will, but never forget half of you is me."

"And I use that half far better than you ever would," taunted Vegetto.

Vegeta narrowed his eyes, but said nothing, his body tensing, unease and concern on his face. Pan gulped, Vegeta was trying to hide it, but he was worried.

Vegetto studied him. "Blue huh? So this must be the Super Saiyan God power Beerus wanted to see all those years ago."

Vegeta looked a bit surprised, and immediately his concern vanished and a grin spread across his face. "So! You don't have the power of a god, thanks for the information. Guess that clown inside you was good for something, being a fool."

Vegetto smirked. "I don't need the power of a god, just the power to kill one."

Vegetto surged forward faster than Pan could follow and slammed a fist into Vegeta's face, sending him flying. Vegeta cringed and righted himself, blood leaking down his mouth. He wiped his glove over his face and stared down at the blood, uncertainty written all over him.

Pan looked to Grandpa and asked, "Just how strong is Vegetto?"

Goku studied the fusion for a moment and spoke quietly. "Strong. If he were a Super Saiyan God, we'd all be dead without question. I doubt even the Kaio-Ken would have saved me. When Vegeta and I fused into him, he was based off us at the time of our fusing. We never really considered how strong we could actually become if we were to have trained and pushed ourselves. We split before that ever even crossed our mind. If he were to go Blue, he'd be way stronger than the Vegetto me and Vegeta formed against Zamasu."

"Should we intervene dad?" asked Gohan.

Goku crossed his arms. "Vegeta can able to handle him right now, but, Vegetto's only a Super Saiyan 2. If he goes to the third level, we might need to step in."

Vegetto cracked his knuckles, and then his neck to one side and the other. "Took you guys long enough to get here. What, did you take the scenic route blowing up timelines?"

Vegeta scoffed. "Save the taunting for someone it works against."

Vegetto's face grew angry. "Taunting? You think I was taunting? I'm asking YOU a damn question! Even for you Vegeta, this is low."

He turned to Goku. "And you, Kakarot, you'd willingly do this?"

"Get off your high horse," interrupted Vegeta, "It's us or you. Like I told your family, its nothing personal. Your timeplane endangers the rest of us."

Vegetto frowned, absorbing the information. "Care to explain exactly how that works?"

"Towa has been creating timeplanes by altering history to absorb energy from them. Their mere existence threatens to destabilize time itself!" explained Chronoa.

Vegetto looked agitated. "I figured she was hiding something, but..."

He shook his head. "It doesn't matter. If its us or you, then I'd choose us everytime. Nothing personal, right?"

Vegeta smiled a grim smile. "Right."

 _BOOM_

The two of them disappeared and began trading blows faster than Pan could follow. Pan had to turn Super Saiyan 2 to merely not get blown away by the shockwaves from their fight. Once again Pan found herself growing infuriated with herself. She wouldn't last one second against Vegetto, even his daughter would make mince meat out of her. To add onto that, this version of Dad would probably crush her too if it came down to it. Just like the last timeplane against Cell, she was pretty much useless here. Damn it, damn it, damn it!

 _WHAM_

Vegeta two hand smashed Vegetto from behind and knocked him down to the ground. Vegetto made a crater in the ground before rising to his feet and massaging his shoulder.

"That 'can't sense your ki thing' you gods have is really annoying," stated Vegetto flatly.

Vegeta crossed his arms. "Tough luck."

The two of them exploded at eachother again, and as they fought, Goku began to grow curious. "He knows he's outmatched, why isn't he going Super Saiyan 3?"

Gohan raised an eyebrow. "You told me that form chugs energy. Even if he beats Vegeta there's still both of us to handle. From his point of view, he has to conserve his power."

Goku thought for a moment before nodding. "Makes sense, but, he ain't even gonna come close to beating Vegeta at this rate."

True to his words, Vegeta slammed a fist into Vegetto's gut and backhanded him to the ground. Vegetto skidded along, stopping a few feet from his family, bruised and heavily beaten, dropping out of Super Saiyan 2. Vegeta aimed a hand at him, only to pause when Bulla rushed forward and knelt down, cradling her father.

Vegeta scowled. "I'll give her a minute, I guess..."

 _*crunch crunch*_

Pan gave a start when Vegetto's wounds healed and his energy restored. She noted the Senzu bean bag in Bulla's hand, and a wide grin on her face. Huh, good way to be useful.

"Thanks squirt," said Vegetto, rising to his feet.

Bulla scowled. "Stop calling me that!"

 _ZAP_

Pan took advantage of their distraction, fired a death beam, and fried the Senzu Bean bag in Bulla's hand before anyone could react. Goku glanced back at her, an eyebrow raised. Well, what did he expect? She was like, the only proactive one in the entire group.

The Other Gohan looked at Pan in disbelief. "Why does she know Freeza's move?"

"Long story," muttered Pan.

"Vegetto!" called out Piccolo, "We will aid you!"

"You'll do no such thing!" retorted Vegetto.

"Dad! Please!" begged Bulla, "There's no more Senzu's! You need our help!"

Vegetto glared at her. "None of you would last more than one hit. You got me a Senzu, leave it at that."

Pan felt a pang of kinship as Bulla ground her teeth and backed off. Despite that they were on opposite sides of this battle, as much as she wished they didn't have to fight at all, they were both utterly useless. Outside of supporting their main fighters, the hell could they actually do? It pissed her off so much. Well, at least she wasn't the only one...

"I'll offer you one chance Vegetto, stand down and I'll make this quick," offered Vegeta before his voice grew soft, "You don't stand a chance, it's not necessary to make your daughter and wife watch this."

Vegetto glared at him and powered back up to Super Saiyan 2. "Back down? Your kidding, right?"

He grinned. "I just recovered from quite the beating you gave me, and as any good Saiyan knows, what doesn't kill us..."

Vegetto burst forward into the air and slammed a fist deep into Vegeta's gut. "...makes us stronger!"

Vegeta hissed in pain, blood dripping out of his mouth, and latched onto Vegetto's arm. "Not strong enough!"

Vegetto's eyes went wide as Vegeta began to spin him around and around before throwing him into the air and then aimed an open hand at him. "Big Bang Attack!"

Vegetto righted himself and put two fingers to his forehead, teleporting out of the attack and behind Vegeta before smashing his hand into the back of Vegeta's skull. Vegeta gave a surprised cry and flew forward at the impact before turning and engaging Vegetto directly.

Pan lost sight of their fight once again and crossed her arms, grumbling. "Can't even watch whats going on..."

"Yeah, well, welcome to most of my childhood up until Cell," said Gohan.

"Vegetto's doing much better this time around, but, he still can't beat Vegeta, not like this," said Goku.

They reappeared. Vegetto rushed forward, and kicked Vegeta, only for his leg to go through an afterimage. Vegeta appeared behind him and swung a chop towards the back of his neck. Pan's eyes went wide as Vegetto raised his hand and caught the attack. Vegeta looked momentarily stunned as well. How'd he know it was coming?

Vegetto turned to look at the surprised Vegeta. "You know, when we started fighting, I had this tingling sensation in the back of my mind. It's only been growing sense then. I think I finally figured your 'god ki' out."

Pan's eyes went wide as a soft blue aura appeared directly around Vegetto's skin, but underneath his yellow Super Saiyan aura, and he backhanded Vegeta away. "What?!"

Goku grew wary. "Just like Future Trunks did against Zamasu, he's absorbing and adapting to god ki by fighting against it, but, already? This is way to quick..."

Gohan nodded. "Agreed, but remember, he IS both you and Vegeta. We need to end this, now."

Goku hesitated. "I think Vegeta can still take him."

"Dad! If this keeps going on, he's going to get more and more of a grasp over god ki!" warned Gohan, "Are we really going to let this turn out like Cell and Freeza when we had a chance to win early but let them transform or power up and risk everything?"

Goku winced. "Well..."

"Exactly," said Gohan, igniting his Super Saiyan Blue aura and taking off, Goku following suit a moment later.

Pan's eyes twitched. So THAT was it? That was the big secret to gaining god ki? Fight or train against it? Not some super secret training? Pff...

Vegetto barely managed to dodge as Gohan came at him from behind. He rushed down and blasted off and out of the way, eyeing the three blue glowing warriors.

Vegeta glared death at Gohan and Goku. "I do NOT need your help!"

"Vegeta, were not letting this turn into another 'Cell moment' for you," said Gohan.

Vegetto, despite the situation, couldn't help but laugh at that. "Oh, that had to hurt."

Vegeta scowled. "Fine then, let's end this."

Vegetto clenched his fists, and his power began to spike. "So be it then, I'll take on all three of you! AHHHHHHHH!"

Pan staggered and thrust a fist into the ground to keep herself stable as the world began to shake. She watched Vegetto's hair grow, his eyebrows disappeared, and his power skyrocket. In a flash, Vegetto ascended to Super Saiyan 3 and rushed forward.

"Get them dad!" screamed Bulla, both with hope and fear.

"You can do it Vegetto! I believe in you!" shouted Bulma.

"You can do it dad!" cried out Gohan.

Pan felt her heart be crushed at their shouts. She now, more than ever since she entered this timeplane, felt like she and the others were the villains here. These people were just trying to live their lives, just trying to survive... this wasn't right...

Pan turned to Chronoa. "Are you sure this has to be done?"

Chronoa sighed. "Pan, there's no other choice. If we let these timeplanes continue, they will empower Towa. And aside from that, there mere existence destabalizes the entire timestream."

Pan frowned. "I bet Grandpa and the others would be willing to take on a stronger Towa rather than do this. Is there a way to stabilize it without destroying the timeplanes?"

"I don't know," said Chronoa.

"You don't know?!" exclaimed Pan, "Your having us MURDER our friends and family when you haven't even checked for other options?!"

Chronoa scowled at her. "Pan! You don't understand the stakes here! As the Kaioshin, the god ruling over time, it's my duty to..."

Pan glared hatefully at her. "What I understand is that you, the 'high and mighty god of time' doesn't think its worth her time to try and help people rather than take the easy way out and wipe them out, using us to do your dirty work for you!"

Chronoa flinched at her words. "Pan... that's not it at all. If we had time to study this without risking the timestream, I would, but we don't have the time, and Towa grows stronger the longer these timeplanes last. I'm sorry."

Pan crossed her arms and turned away from Chronoa. "...stupid god..."

Pan found herself not wanting to watch the battle anymore and merely kept her eyes glued on the ground. Shockwaves buffeted her, energy rolled over the area, and cries of pain kept sounding. Second by second, she felt Vegetto's energy drop, until...

"Final...," came Vegetto's voice.

Pan froze, feeling the man's energy spike a level she couldn't wrap her mind around, and forced herself to look up. Vegetto was bruised and bleeding heavily, breathing in and out nonstop. The man held his arms out to his sides, and then brought them together. Gohan, Goku, and Vegeta were floating away from him, putting some distance between...

"KamehameHAAAAAAAA!" screamed Vegetto.

Pan's eyes went wide, watching the technique erupt from Vegetto's hands right at Goku. "GRANDPA!"

"Kaio-Ken times ten!" shouted Goku, holding out his hands to catch the energy.

She could visibly see the disbelief on Vegetto's face as Goku caught and negated the energy wave. Vegetto slowly shook his head, grim realization on his face. It was over, she could tell he knew it, he didn't stand a chance. His power gave out a moment later and he plummeted towards the ground. Bulla flew up and caught him, gently setting him down. She looked up as Goku, Vegeta, and Gohan landed a bit away, terror on her face.

"I'll finish it," muttered Vegeta, slowly walking forward.

Goku and Gohan nodded, flying back over towards Chronoa.

"Stand aside Bulla," warned Vegeta, aiming a hand at the downed Vegetto.

Bulla moved, but not away; she rose to her feet and planted herself right in front of her father, spreading her arms out to her side. "If you want to kill my dad, your going to have to go through me!"

Vegeta hesitated, and despite how stoic he was trying to appear, Pan could see the agony of the choice in his eyes. Once more, Pan remembered Bardock's warning. Could Vegeta ever forgive himself if he killed his daughter? Even if she was a different version of her?

Pan decided not to find out. Pan aimed a hand and unleashed a blast of ki, hitting and knocking Bulla out of the way and to the ground. Vegeta was surprised and momentarily looked at Pan, silent thanks in his eyes, before he turned and blew a hole through Vegetto's chest.

"DADDY!" screamed Bulla, holding a hand out towards him.

Vegeta flew back to the group as the grayness of stopped time spread from Vegetto and engulfed his daughter and his friends and family, spreading to consume their entire world. Pan watched it all quietly, feeling horrific guilt trying to tear her apart. She could feel it in the other's ki as well, none of them felt remotely good after doing this.

To her; the scene; a dead Vegetto with his daughter on the ground nearby stretching a desperate, pleading, hand out to him, tears streaming down her face. Pan knew the image was going to haunt her for the rest of her life.

Without a word, Chronoa held up her hand and teleported the deathly silent group out of the timeplane...

* * *

 _Author's Note:_

 _The Vegetto minor god ki aura is my take on the so called 'Super Saiyan Rage', but rather than it being something unique to Trunks, I treat that form as a half-way point between Super Saiyan and Super Saiyan Blue._


	34. Royal Rumble

_**Potara - Chapter 34: Royal Rumble**_

* * *

Pan took a disgusted look around them. "Earth again... is she going to have us kill our family again?!"

Vegeta crossed his arms. "I don't feel us anywhere to be honest... except..."

Goku frowned. "You feel that Vegeta?"

Vegeta nodded. "Freeza."

Pan put a hand on her hip. "Him again? Well, its better than fighting our family and friends. Though, he and that Ginyu guy did nothing last time, what is Towa expecting?"

Goku eyed her. "This isn't the same Freeza, Pan. I can feel the difference."

Vegeta cracked his knuckles. "Kakarot, he's mine this time around. I'm going to pound that gold form of his into the ground!"

Pan blinked a few times and searched her memory. The tale of 'Golden Freeza'. The tyrant had trained for a few months and gotten a absolutely ridiculous power boost, being able to match the power of Super Saiyan Blue. She nodded slowly to herself, she'd be able to see the story in action then. They began to fly towards the source of power.

"So, what do you think Towa changed?" asked Goku.

"Probably got Freeza to train to master his Golden Form if I had to guess," said Vegeta, his voice eager.

"Even if she did, there's no way he would have been able to take both of us," said Goku.

Vegeta shrugged. "There's only one way to find out."

Pan subdued and suppressed her guilt over the destruction of Vegetto's timeplane and focused on the here and now. She stretched out her senses, probing the tyrant off in the distance, but wait... next to him...

"Is that Trunks?" asked Pan with disbelief, "What's he doing with Freeza?"

The group stopped momentarily, she could see the others concentrating to confirm.

Anger flashed across Vegeta's face. "Freeza, you bastard...

Vegeta exploded forward, not bothering to mask his energy. The rest of them raised their ki and raced after him. Finally, they stopped over a gigantic palace in front of a lake. Standing over a ledge, looking up at them, was Freeza. Unlike the one Pan had seen last time, he was in his final form. Next to him stood Trunks in Saiyan armor. Weirdly, he held a tray of wine in his right hand.

Freeza looked up at them, a smirk on his face. "Ah yes, a group of monkeys and a god, right on schedule as the demon woman said."

Freeza turned to Trunks. "Boy, head the the wine cellar and fetch me one of my favorites for after the battle would you? I want one of Earth's most refined wines for this occasion."

Trunks hesitated briefly, glancing up at Vegeta and the others.

Freeza made a tsking sound and waged a finger at him. "They died before with the uttermost ease, if you believe these fools will do any better than your real family than you are mistaken. Lest you want me to kill your mother, you best hurry."

Trunks bowed his head, misery on his face. "Yes, Lord Freeza."

Pan shivered, feeling a wave of raw and pure hatred emanate from Vegeta's ki as Trunks left to obey.

The man flew down and landed a ways from Freeza. "You son of a bitch... how dare you..."

"Oh? You seem rather upset about something dear Vegeta," said Freeza with glee, "Could it be because I put your son in his place like you used to be? Under my foot obeying my every command, that's the only place you monkeys deserve to be, on a leash."

Vegeta ascended to Super Saiyan Blue, a rage unlike anything Pan had ever seen on his face. "I'm... I'm going to BUTCHER YOU!"

Freeza held up a finger. "Ah ah ah, one moment Vegeta, not all parties are present yet."

Vegeta gave him a momentarily confused and puzzled look before a heavy and powerful footfall emanated from the palace. Pan's eyes went wide as a tall, Freeza look alike, emerged from the palace, and stopped suppressing his ki. His was far taller, and far more muscular than Freeza was. His skin looked a little wrinkled, but otherwise, he looked to be a far older and more mature Freeza.

Freeza smirked at him. "Just like the demon woman said. The monkeys are back for more, father."

Vegeta gave a start. "King Cold?!"

Cold grinned and spoke with a deep, powerful voice. "What's the matter Vegeta? You look like you've seen a ghost."

Gohan frowned. "He looks nothing like the King Cold of our timeline..."

Cold looked up at him. "That, foolish monkey, is because your time traveling 'Trunks' killed me in my second form, before I could transform."

Gohan's face turned pure white. "That was only his second form?! If he had transformed back then..."

Cold grinned. "None of you would have stood a chance against me."

A nervous bead of sweat rolled down Goku's face. "Okay, well, two of them, both probably with gold forms. That might explain things."

"Two?" mocked Cold, "You are forgetting someone else."

From the palace walked a third member of Freeza's species. While his form was similar to the first two, his coloring was different. He was far more purple, and the metallic orb on his head was thin and blue instead of large and purple like the others.

"Cooler...," muttered Goku.

Cooler looked up and grinned. "Surprised to see me, monkey?"

"Okay... this might be bad," said Chronoa fearfully.

Purple energy began to engulf the three members of the cold family, their energy rising rapidly. Goku and Gohan immediately turned Super Saiyan Blue, flew down to stand next to Vegeta, and braced themselves.

"BEHOLD!" roared King Cold, "BEHOLD THE MIGHT OF MY CLAN!"

All three of them, their muscles bulged and their power erupted far beyond what Pan could wrap her mind around. The grew a few inches, and their color scheme changed. Freeza turned gold and purple. Cooler turned Silver and white. Cold turned platinum and gray. Their aura's changed to match their primary colors, gold, silver, and platinum. Pan trembled, their power had exploded to the point where she couldn't even properly probe them with her senses without a viscous feedback effect, they might as well have god ki and be un-sensable.

Pan's eyes danced back and forth between the cold family and her family/friends. Vegeta, Goku, and Gohan looked utterly shocked and surprised. She didn't need to be able to feel their god ki to know how nervous they were. All of them however, weren't paying attention to Freeza or Cooler. Vegeta, Goku, and Gohan were all locking eyes on Cold. So was Chronoa, and she looked terrified. It occurred to her suddenly that Chronoa, being a god, must be able to sense god ki. She might be able to properly compare Cold's power.

"How strong is Cold?" asked Pan.

Chronoa nervously answered, "I... I-I don't know."

"What do you mean you don't know?" hissed Pan.

"I'm not a fighting god! I rule over and help direct the flow of time. Battle isn't part of why I was created. As such, things of that nature weren't woven into my creation. I was forced to learn a few things of that nature from my Time Patrollers and from when I had to face Demigra in the far past, but thats it!" explained Chronoa.

Demigra? Pan sounded the name over in her mind, but it brought up no memories. She had never heard of or met someone with that name before. Still, despite knowing nothing about him, the name 'Demigra' left a bad taste in her mouth.

"I'll fight Cold," said Goku, trying to sound calm.

"Kakarot," said Vegeta, "I will only ask this once, are you sure you can handle him?"

Pan blanked for a moment, had she just heard CONCERN from Vegeta towards her Grandpa? Just how strong was Cold?!

Goku sheepishly scratched the back of his head. "Not really, this is probably going to hurt a lot. You and Gohan are going to need to hurry with your own fights."

Vegeta scowled. "I wanted to take my time with Freeza, a shame."

"Ho ho ho," mocked Freeza, "If you think you can match me Vegeta it will be my pleasure to crush such fool thoughts."

Cooler crossed his arms and scowled, looking at Gohan. "So I have to clean up the trash? He couldn't even stand up to us for a second last time around."

Gohan glared at him. "I'm far stronger than I was when Freeza attacked us in our own timeline."

Cooler smirked. "Is that so? I hope you don't bore me, boy. After all, you bored me so much with your pleading and mercy talk the last time we met that I couldn't help but bring your beaten form along as I killed your friends, destroyed your city, and found your dear wife and daughter to torture and kill before your eyes. Which reminds me, that girl floating up there, is she your child all grown up? I wouldn't mind killing her twice..."

Cooler didn't get another word off before Gohan gave a cry of rage and smashed a fist into his face, sending him flying. Gohan immediately pursued him and kept smashing him around like a rag doll, knocking him into the distance.

No one else had moved yet.

Freeza chuckled to himself. "My oh my, how I almost wish I could be that monkey right now smashing my oh so dear brother's face in."

"Now Freeza," scolded Cold, "You should play nice with your brother."

"Oh if I must father," said Freeza, his tone bored.

"Stop ignoring me you damn lizard!" roared Vegeta.

"Now Vegeta, why would I need to pay attention...," began Freeza.

The tyrant disappeared and sucker punched Vegeta, smashing him down the cliff and into the lake below. "...to someone so weak?"

Freeza took a brief moment to smirk at Goku. "I wouldn't mind killing you a second time, but my revenge has already been sated. I hope you enjoy your time, bonding, with my father, ho ho ho."

Goku wordlessly watched Freeza descend the cliff and move to engage Vegeta who exploded from the water and rushed to engage him. Goku crossed his arms and turned to King Cold, studying him.

Pan watched it all from above, hoping and praying her Grandpa could come through...

* * *

Goku gave King Cold a once over with his eyes, wondering how he was going to pull this off. From what he could sense, Cold was far strong than Freeza right now, and this Freeza was FAR more powerful than the Golden Freeza he had fought himself. It was more than obvious to them that the tyrant and his family had continued to train after taking over the Earth.

Goku decided to start off with small talk and try to see just how similar Cold was to his son. "I'll admit, from what I sense, your pretty strong."

Cold half-bowed and mocked. "How kind of you to say."

Cold flashed him a menacing smile. "But in truth, you have no idea. We haven't even started getting fighting, let alone warmed up yet."

Goku forced himself to remain calm, that wicked smile told him all he needed to know about Cold's personality. But, what Cold had said, he was either bluffing, or Goku knew he was _REALLY_ in over his head. He was going to need his Kaio-Ken to even keep up with him. If Cold was drastically holding back, like Freeza had done at first when they had fought on Namek, he would burst up to a times twenty if need be to try and match him. Well, there was only one way to find out...

"Kaio-Ken!" Goku cried out, letting the red aura overlap with his blue one, and rushed at Cold.

They began exchanging blows, neither putting to much effort into it, trying to feel out the others power. Goku received the short end of their first spar, feeling the first crushing blow hit his face and floor him to the ground. Cold casually stepped over him and put his hands behind his own back, clasping them together and walking around as he waited for Goku to stand up.

"I'm disappointed monkey, I'm not even trying and you've already been beaten down once," mocked Cold.

Goku rubbed his sore face and eyed the tyrant. "Yeah well, don't count me out yet. Kaio-ken times five!"

Goku's power jumped and he rushed at Cold...

* * *

"HOW DARE YOU ENSLAVE MY SON!" screamed Vegeta in mind numbing rage, cocking his fist and smashing it into Freeza's face, sending him sprawling away.

Freeza stopped and righted himself, a momentary flash of anger on his face before he calmed. "Temper temper my favorite pet monkey. If you surrender, I may release him from his direct service to me, send him out as a purger, and let you take his place. After all, your son is a poor replacement for you, he lacks that spark of foolish defiance that I so enjoyed beating out of your eyes time and time again. He's just no fun."

Vegeta rushed him and threw another punch, which Freeza caught and then used to twist his arm around and pin it behind his back. "Oh Vegeta, just like on Namek, how could you ever think you could defy me?"

"LIKE THIS!" roared Vegeta, swinging his foot up to boot Freeza's forehead.

Freeza gave a startled cry and flew backwards, clutching his head. "Damn monkey prince! I'll..."

Vegeta was in front of him before he could react and backhanded the tyrant across his face, drawing blood. "You'll what Freeza?"

Freeza glared at him. "I'll break you."

Vegeta let his rage simmer and boil. "Oh really? You failed to do that my entire time that I had to endure your rule. What makes you think you'll succeed this time?"

Freeza smirked. "Because this time, you actually have someone you care for. I already have your family under my thumb and..."

Vegeta's gaze darkened. "You fool... you dare? You dare to try and use them against me?"

He threw back his head and laughed. "That might have mattered in my own timeline, but, I already know the fate of my family here."

He brought down his head, sad look on his face. "As much as I loath it, they are fated to die when you and your family do. To be honest, their deaths are a kindness to them in itself, freedom from their enslavement to _you_. It's a kindness I almost wish someone had given to me when I was a child before you could get your hands on me."

Vegeta began to shake, allowing his rage to overtake him. "Before this is over Freeza, I swear to you, you will know the HELL I lived in under you rule, and you will BEG for mercy, and I will deny you it!"

* * *

Gohan threw himself at Cooler, smashing into him with punches and kicks as hard as he could over and over again. "They were innocent! How could you just murder my family in cold blood?"

Cooler blocked a hit and countered, jabbing Gohan's face and forcing him back. "You know, you said the same thing to me last time before I killed you, and do you know what my response was?"

Gohan glared at him. "Probably something cold hearted and merciless."

Cooler smirked. "Touche, you know my family well."

Cooler released a barrage of death beams, forcing Gohan to dodge and continue to dodge. "You know Cooler, my daughter uses that move better than you do."

Cooler stopped suddenly, disbelief on his face. "She uses my clan's move?"

Gohan surged forward and smashed a knee into Cooler's face and floored him to the ground. "Yeah, and like I said, she does it better without even one percent of your power."

Cooler exploded towards him. "You DARE mock me?"

Gohan jumped over Cooler's attack and smashed a leg into the back of his head, knocking him to his knees. "Yeah, I dare. To be honest, we've only just begun and I can tell you wont really be a challenge. Freeza is stronger, and your father is far beyond either of your levels."

Cooler rose to his feet and turned towards Gohan, a smirk on his face. "Oh? Is that right?"

Gohan frowned for a second, wondering where this confidence he saw on Cooler's face came from. "Yeah, I hope you don't mind, but, I'm not going to bother wasting my time here with you for long."

Cooler's smirk transformed into a grin. "Perhaps you are correct. In THIS form I am no match for either my brother or father."

Gohan narrowed his eyes. "Your point?"

"Tell me, monkey, did we meet in your timeline?" asked Cooler.

"Briefly, you fought my dad, and he crushed you when he went Super Saiyan, even with your fifth form," said Gohan.

"Ah! So you know of my fifth form, good, that makes this explanation easier for your little monkey brain to understand," jabbed Cooler.

"This 'silver' form you see me in now is an extension of my very being, its not exactly its own transformation like Freeza and my father in their sealed forms that limit their power," explained Cooler, a devious look on his face.

"As such, it is not confined to just one form. Now, CONSIDER," shouted Cooler.

Cooler's body grew in size, his muscles bulged, his ki surged, and connected horns grew out of his head as a face mask slide over his mouth, "WHAT HAPPENS WHEN I COMBINE MY FIFTH FORM AND MY SILVER FORM!"

Gohan took a step back, shock on his face. "Unreal..."

Cooler burst forward and slammed a fist into Gohan's stomach, lifting him up into the air and then slamming him to the ground with a swat of his tail. "Yes monkey, my power is ' _unreal_ '."

Cooler picked him up and drove a knee into him before backhanding him to the ground, a savage glee in his voice, "When this day is done, all of my foes; you, your father, your child, the god, my brother, and my father shall lay dead at my feet!"

He stalked forward and slammed a foot down on Gohan's chest, causing him to scream in pain...

* * *

Pan was sweating buckets, trying to watch all three fights going on from her vantage point in the air. Only Vegeta looked like he was somewhat winning. Cold was toying with Grandpa, who had gone Kaio-Ken times ten, and dad was getting obliterated after Cooler transformed. She trembled fearfully, she rarely ever felt doubt in her families ability to fight and win, but this was insane. The Cold Clan was evenly matching, and even overpowering them. She had always been told that back in the day, these guys were just brainless unskilled brutes who relied on raw power to enslave the universe with their Planet Trade Organization. That was clearly not the case now, they had trained to fully hone and bring out their power and abilities. They fought with skill and intelligence, and it was obvious they could feel ki and react around that.

She gulped. "They... they can't win..."

"Have faith, they'll pull through," said Chronoa, "They've come through worse."

She hesitated, wanting to believe her, but froze when another agonized scream from her father. She glanced towards his part of the battle, seeing him pinned against a wall and being hit over and over again. This was to much, she couldn't just watch this happen! She gave a cry of fury and ascended to Super Saiyan 2, rushing down towards her father and Cooler.

"Pan wait! Stop!" cried out Chronoa.

Pan ignored her and cupped a hand to her side. "Kamehameha!"

She released the energy wave at Cooler and watched it hit him, exploding and sending dust everywhere. When it cleared, Cooler still stood, definitely unharmed, but it had the desired effect of stopping his beat down of her father. Cooler turned his head and locked eyes with her. A shiver ran down Pan's spine. Cooler blurred, dropping Gohan, and reappearing directly infront of Pan. She froze, fear paralyzing her. Rather than attack, Cooler studied her.

"Tell me child, your father says you can use my Clan's move, the death beam, would you care to demonstrate?" inquired Cooler with interest.

Pan steeled herself, the more time she could buy her father to recover his strength, the better. She glared hatefully at him and aimed a finger at his right eye, unleashing a purple beam of energy. When he didn't even bother to dodge or block it, allowing it to hit his eye and do nothing, she couldn't help but grate her teeth in frustration. She knew she was severely outclassed, but that was just insulting.

Cooler let out a hearty chuckle. "My my my, so he was telling the truth after all. You can use my Clan's move, and you focus the beam quite well. Had we been remotely similar in strength, you would have put that beam through my skull. Bravo, now..."

Cooler disappeared and reappeared behind her, grabbing her hair and yanking her head back, causing her to scream. "Would you care to indulge just where you learned it from?"

She spit up at his face. "From one of your kind who wasn't a complete monster!"

Cooler smirked. "Is that so? Care to give me a name?"

"Zeroes," spat Pan.

Cooler grew puzzled. "That's not a name I'm familiar with. Perhaps some outcast dredge or something. Perhaps after this I'll go and hunt him down. Now, to continue..."

Cooler turned and aimed a finger down at Gohan, who was far below on the ground panting and trying to catch his breath. "I disagree with his assessment of your death beam being better than mine. Shall we compare?"

"DAD LOOK OUT!" screamed Pan.

Gohan barely managed to throw himself out of the way before a death beam could blow through his skull. Gohan continued to run and scramble out of a deadly barrage of beams until one caught the back his left leg and blew clean through it. Gohan screamed and fell to the ground. Pan's eyes went wide with fear and she gave a cry, smashing an elbow into Cooler's face, only to watch it do nothing to the tyrant. Cooler gave a chuckle and threw Pan to the ground. The impact was jarring and crushing, leaving a crater and knocking her out of Super Saiyan 2. She buried her face into the ground in shame, just a toss to the ground and he had already beaten her...

"You know, I was cruel last time, making you watch your wife and child die before you. Perhaps I'll try letting the child witness the parent's death first, how does that sound monkey?" asked Cooler with merciless glee as he landed next to Gohan.

Pan watched, her fear growing more and more as Cooler stalked forward and kicked Gohan's face, bloodying his nose. "Dad... no... no... please no..."

Her entire body trembled in a level of fear she had only known few times in her life. Once when Odianna had been about to kill her, and once when she had been delirious near death after her fight with Kojin. Her father was going to die, and there was nothing she could do about it. After him, she'd die, then Cooler would go tip the tide against Vegeta and finish Grandpa off. No no no no no!

A faint green glow began to shimmer around Pan's body. "Daddy..."

Cooler began to beat Gohan, kicking up into the air and then punching him over and over again before backhanding him to the ground. "Pathetic monkey. For all the power you gained, its worthless before my might! Now DIE!"

Pan's eyes bulged, she screamed at the top of her lungs, her green aura growing in size. "DADDY!" and suddenly lost consciousness.

* * *

Gohan laid on the ground, his Super Saiyan Blue form lost, staring up at Cooler defiantly. "Do your worst..."

Cooler chuckled and pointed a finger at him. "As you wis-."

"LEAVE MY DADDY ALONE!" came a primal scream from Pan.

Pan in her base state, coated with small aura of green energy, came out of nowhere and smashed a fist into Cooler's face. Gohan watched, in disbelief, as she cracked his face visor and sent him flying. What the hell!? How did Pan just do that? Pan flew after Cooler and began to beat him into the ground, screaming in mad terror the entire time despite the fact that she was devastating her opponent. Her ki was completely erratic, chaotic, and uncontrolled, radiating her fear.

"You WRETCHED monkey child!" shouted Cooler, rising to his feet and backhanding Pan across her face, sending her reeling back.

Pan staggered a bit and feel to her knees, clutching her head suddenly. She gave a horrific scream of pain and fear before green energy erupted out of her body. For a brief moment, Gohan watched as her eyes and hair adopted the color of the green glow that surrounded her body. In one brief motion, faster than Gohan could follow, Pan embedded her fist into Cooler's gut, driving it completely through his body, elbow deep. The tyrant stood there, stunned, before he fell backwards and to the ground. Pan stood there, trembling, before she fell to her knees and then fell backwards as well, losing the green glow and coloring, and her eyes closing.

Gohan rose to his feet and limped over, staring down at his daughter in disbelief. That green energy, that was the same thing he had seen coat her when she had teleported from one dimension to another, but, it hadn't changed her hair nor her eye colors last time, nor had it given her power. The raw power he had briefly felt from her when her hair and eyes had changed colors... it eclipsed them all. Just what in the world WAS that green energy?

* * *

Goku and Cold had frozen, their fists inches from eachother's faces. Both of their heads were turned, staring off in the distance towards where Gohan and Cooler had been fighting. Slowly, they separated and exchanged glances.

"Tell me, monkey, what we felt just now, was that...," Cold began uneasily.

"Pan," whispered Goku, not understanding how Pan had just momentarily gained such an insane amount of energy.

Goku let his Kaio-Ken aura drop, mindful to keep an eye on Cold, but the elder tyrant was to stunned to act. They both were. He could feel Cooler's life-force fade away. Somehow, Pan had just killed him, and easily. One moment Cooler had been at huge pinnacle of power, then within thirty seconds he was dead. What in the hell...

* * *

Vegeta held a bloody and battered Freeza in a choke hold, but felt too paralyzed to finish the job. He released Freeza, ignoring the tyrant and merely staring off into the distance towards where Gohan and Cooler had been fighting.

Freeza grated his teeth nervously. "Vegeta, EXPLAIN, NOW! What the hell was that?"

Vegeta's rage and hatred had expired the moment the sensation of Pan's energy had washed over him, and despite himself, he found himself answering, "I don't know..."

* * *

Towa watched through her crystal ball in disbelief. "What the hell was that?! How did she just gain that enormous amount of power?"

The other Towas and her brother Dabura watched silently, grave looks on their faces.

Towa ran a hand through her hair, agitation coating her face. "Without all three of them its over. The Cold Clan should have won this, all that time wasted... just what the hell was that?"

She growled and rose to her feet, clenching her fists. "No more games, I need a guaranteed way to kill them, whatever that power was, it needs to be exterminated, and I think I know just the god to do that for me."

A sly grin spread across her face as she pointed her Demon Time Ring, created a tear in space and time, and walked through it...

* * *

Gohan looked up, seeing Chronoa flying towards them. She landed, spared Pan one very confused and somewhat fearful glance, before she knelt down and healed Gohan's leg and then the rest of his body. He her a curt nod as thanks before resuming staring at his daughter, trying to wrap his mind around what had just happened.

"Gohan, I'll look after her, you have to go help the others," said Chronoa.

Gohan took one last look at his daughter, not sure if he should be fearful or awed, before he nodded and took off. Vegeta would probably be mad, but he ought to help finish Freeza so they could both help against Cold. He flew over Goku and Cold, noting that they weren't fighting anymore, merely looking in Pan's direction. Dad looked a bit worse for the wear, but this downtime would let him regain his strength. He kept on flying and stopped far above Vegeta and Freeza. Both of them had stopped fighting as well.

Gohan moved a bit behind them and began to descend, waiting until he was level with them before shouting. "Vegeta!"

He burst forward, turning Super Saiyan Blue, and smashed Freeza towards Vegeta. The man recovered from his surprised and slammed a fist into Freeza's face. They knocked the tyrant back and forth a bit before Freeza recovered and flew away from them, trying to gain some distance. They pursued immediately, launching ki blasts to keep him off balance. Vegeta put on speed, overtaking the tyrant and kicking him up into the air.

"Galick Gun!" shouted Vegeta, shooting a beam that hit the tyrant and exploded.

Freeza fell out of the air and slammed into the ground below, losing his gold form. Vegeta landed next to him, held out a hand, and blasted him into oblivion without another word. Vegeta glanced up at Gohan and without a word they took off towards Goku and Cold.

"Gohan, what the hell was that?" shouted Vegeta as they flew.

"Finish with Cold first," said Gohan, "I'll _try_ and explain after. To be honest, I'm really not sure."

They landed next to Goku a moment later, who was having a staredown with Cold.

The elder Tyrant looked annoyed. "So, both of my children have perished. Pathetic. I suppose if you want something done right..."

Cold gave a roar, and his muscles and power exploded in size. "...you have to do it yourself!"

Goku tensed. "It's like Freeza's one-hundred percent form on Namek, huge power, chugs energy."

Cold smirked. "All power comes with some kind of price."

Cold blurred and disappeared, reappearing and planting a fist deep into Vegeta's gut, doubling him over before smacking Gohan to the ground with his tale before rushing at Goku.

"Kaio-Ken times twenty!" shouted Goku, dropping all pretenses and rushed Cold.

They smashed into eachother, exchanging blows as fast as they could. Gohan rose to his feet and glanced up at them. He couldn't intervene in this, it was far out of his level. He sorely wished he had asked how to use the Kaio-Ken with Super Saiyan Blue. Vegeta rose to his feet and joined him, staring up at the titanic struggle going on between Cold and Goku.

"There both going to drain themselves rapidly," warned Vegeta.

Gohan nodded. "We will have to be ready to intervene at a moments notice."

Both of them cringed and raised their arms to brace themselves as a shockwave of energy hit them. Gohan glanced up to see Cold and Goku grappling one another, hands crushingly gripping one another. Energy sparked and rained from them, bombarding the area below them. Both Cold and Goku began to yell, their power swelling and aura's increasing in size.

"Show offs," muttered Vegeta, an annoyed vein throbbing on his forehead.

 _WHAM_

Both of them broke loose of the grapple and sucker punched one another, smashing into eachothers chins. They both spun away, stopped themselves, and immediately rushed back towards each other. Gohan watched, both with his eyes and senses, as their power started rapidly dropping. Cold's muscles started deflating, and Goku's Kaio-Ken aura started shrinking.

Gohan cupped his hands to his side, assuming the kamehameha stance, and waited. Vegeta followed suit, readying himself to use a final flash.

"You filthy monkey! You dare lay a hand on me?!" roared Cold, backhanding Goku away in a fit of rage.

"Kamehameha!" shouted Gohan.

"Final Flash!" roared Vegeta.

The energy waves exploaded from them and rushed towards Cold. The elder tyrant glanced down at them, scowling with annoyance. He raised his arms and braced himself. To his surprise, Goku came at him from behind, booted the back of his head, unbalancing and causing him to drop his guard as the energy waves neared.

 _ZIP_

Goku instant transmissioned away as the energy wave hit the surprised Cold and exploded. The tyrant fell out of the dust cloud and hit the ground, hard, groaning in pain.

"Damn filthy monkeys!" hissed Cold, trying to rise to his feet.

Vegeta planted a boot on the back of his neck. "That's enough out of you."

Vegeta smirked. "Its a shame this has to end. You under my boot is exactly where your kind belongs."

"Vegeta, end it," ordered Gohan.

Goku nodded, huffing and puffing, dropping out of his Super Saiyan Blue state, "Y-yeah..."

Vegeta scowled, blew a hole through the back of Cold's head, and rushed off towards Chronoa, the others following suit, flying fast to escape the grayness of stopped time spreading from Cold. They landed next to the god, who was sitting next to an unconscious Pan. Chronoa raised a hand and formed a time barrier, shielding them. They all sat down and stared at Pan silently.

"So, what happened?" asked Goku.

Gohan scratched his head. "Well, I'm not really sure. Cooler was beating me to death, and Pan kind of freaked out. She started glowing green, like she did when she teleported between dimensions, and crushed him. For a moment, right when her power spiked, her hair and eyes also turned green. She pretty much one-shot him when that happened"

"So she was a green Super Saiyan?" asked Goku with confusion.

Gohan shook his head. "No, her hair was normal, not spiked, and her power didn't feel like she was in a Super Saiyan state."

Vegeta rubbed his chin in thought. "Hmm, I doubt this energy has anything to do with being a Saiyan. It seems far more happened to Pan when she was swallowed by that portal than just gaining the ability to travel to other dimensions."

"So, are you gonna heal her or what?" Goku asked Chronoa.

The Kaishin of Time scowled at him. "I did! She's ki exhausted at the moment, physical injuries have nothing to do with it. Give her time to rest and wake up."

Goku winced. "Oh, sorry."

Vegeta crossed his arms, rubbing his forehead. "I ought to be pissed, you and your family always seem to be one step ahead of me, but..."

"That was like ten steps," said Goku bashfully, "Heh, Pan, you always complained about not being strong enough. That sure ain't the case anymore."

Gohan frowned intently. "I'm not sure she had any control of it dad. That was the first time I've ever seen her use that energy to fight, and when she was using it, she seemed completely out of it."

He sighed and reached over, ruffling Pan's hair. "I just hope she'll be alright..."

Pan flinched at the touch, groaning and slowly opening her eyes. "D-dad...?"

Gohan leaned his head over and kissed her forehead. "Hey Pan, how are you feeling?"

She stared up at him in a daze. "You... beat... Cooler?"

He hesitated, looking up to exchange glances with Goku and Vegeta. "Umm..."

"Yeah he did, it was really close," lied Chronoa all of the sudden.

Gohan frowned at her. "Supreme Kai of Time..."

Chronoa held up a finger to silence him.

Pan nodded weakly, her eyes drooping. "Good... I'm glad... you..."

Pan's head tilted to her side and she passed out before she could get another word off.

Gohan glared at Chonoa. "Why would you lie to her?"

"Because, that's to much power for someone to handle at her age. You SAW what it did to her, you felt that chaotic ki. She had absolutely no control over it, nor any memory what happened. If you tell her about that power, she'll seek it out nonestop, what happens if she figures out how to use it and accidentally kills someone with it? None of you would be able to stop her if she went ballistic," warned Chronoa.

Gohan crossed his arms. "I seem to remember you telling us to have faith in Pan."

Chronoa glared at him. "Yeah, well, there's a difference between an intentionally evil act, and her having no control over herself and harming others. To be honest, I think we should drop her off back in the real timestream, she's to dangerous to keep with us at the moment."

"What if she found out back at home and none of us were there? That'd be even worse," said Goku.

Vegeta nodded. "Agreed, we need to finish up this Towa business, kill the damn witch, and then head back and deal with this new development with the grandbrat. Kai, get us some food, wait for the grandbrat to wake up and eat, then we leave..."

* * *

 _Author's Notes:_

 _I've been waiting for this moment to reveal more of what the 'green energy' can do, and next chapter is going to drastically expand on that. It will the final chapter of the Demon Ring Arc, and will be the first **namesake chapter**. What's a namesake chapter you ask? It shares its chapter title with part of the Fanfiction's overall title._

 _Stay tuned, I'm on a roll, hopefully I can get the next chapter out today. If not, by tomorrow or Tuesday._

 _Before anyone asks, the green energy is NOT the Legendary Super Saiyan kind of green. Think dark-green-ish, Pan isn't a LSSJ._


	35. Beyond Divinity

_**Potara - Chapter 35: Beyond Divinity**_

* * *

Pan slowly opened her eyes, gazing up into the gray sky. She felt utterly exhausted and could hardly feel her ki at the moment. Cooler must have hit her pretty hard she guessed. She lazily looked around, sighting Grandpa, Dad, and Vegeta chowing away on food conjured by the Supreme Kai of Time. Her stomach immediately rumbled at the sight.

Gohan looked over at her and offered a drumstick. "Hungry?"

Pan smiled softly and reached for it. "Starving."

She took it, crawled over, and started eating with them. She devoured several helpings, picking up speed and regaining her energy quickly. She leaned back, gave a belch, and patted her stomach.

"Mmm, much better," said Pan.

There was a soft chuckle, but nothing else was said. She noticed that everyone was looking at her.

"What?" she asked.

"Umm, nothing," said Gohan.

"Enough dawdling, lets resume pursuing the demon woman," said Vegeta.

Pan frowned momentarily, there was something in their eyes when they looked at her. Curiosity, uncertainty, and... was that fear? Why were they looking at her like that? She struggled to think, what had happened after she had intervened with Cooler? Had she been really hurt or something? Were they worried about her? The only thing she could vaguely recall was... something green? She shook her head and banished the thought, rising to her feet.

"Alright, enough's enough, lets get that damn Towa!" said Pan, "She's put us through enough crap!"

"Agreed," said Chronoa, raising her hand into the air and releasing a burst of white light.

The disappeared and reappeared, once again on Earth, only...

Pan ground her teeth and looked around. "This is just like the Earth of Cell's timeplane, everything's ruined!"

Goku looked around. "Not quite."

Pan frowned and did a second take. They were levitating over a devastated city that was overgrown with plantlife. She couldn't sense any human, or even any alien ki signals. However, she could distinctly feel animals still alive. Near the city, woods were overgrowing and slowly claiming the deserted city as its own.

"Nature has been untouched," said Chronoa curiously.

They floated down to the city and stood at its center. Chronoa raised a hand and released a pulse of energy before frowning.

"I can't get a lock on anything, its almost as if...," began Chronoa.

"As if what?" asked Goku.

She narrowed her eyes. "As if I'm being blocked by something. I can feel Towa's taint in the air. She's intentionally keeping us blind."

"Be on guard then," warned Gohan, eying their surroundings.

"She really went all out last time by preparing the Cold Clan," said Vegeta, "Whatever she has planned this time will most likely 'one up' that."

Goku crossed his arms and frowned. "But what could do that? There's not much else. It can't be Broly or Buu, they would have blown up the Earth. Our own family wouldn't do this either."

"There's only one way to find out. Split up and draw out an attack," ordered Vegeta, "Kakarot and I will go one way, you three go another. Be ready to power up and regroup at a moment's notice."

Pan nodded and followed behind Chronoa and her father. They walked for a time, searching through buildings, before they stopped at an open park. Pan crossed her arms and began to tap her feet impatiently. She paused, hearing a small squeak sound, and turned to see a small rabbit nibbling on an apple a ways away. She walked over and knelt down near it, causing it to scramble away.

"Hey little guy, I aint gonna hurt you," said Pan, grabbing the apple and offering it in her hands, smiling at the tiny creature.

The rabbit slowly crept closer until it was inches from her, took a small nibble of the apple and tenses, looking up at her as if expected something. She merely knelt there, smiling at it. The creature relaxed a bit and resumed eating. It had been a long time since she had last interacted with an animal, it was kind of relaxing. She turned her head, looking for the others, before pausing, noting they had gone off.

"Hmph, a mortal showing reverence for nature and it's creatures. It's a shame more of your kind couldn't use their god given wisdom with intelligence," came a familiar voice.

Pan looked forward, sighting her Grandpa walking towards her. "Oh, hi Grandpa."

Her grandpa smirked at her, a odd glint in his eyes, before he walked forward and knelt down, brushing a hand against the back of the rabbit. Pan paused, growing curious, noting that Grandpa had changed his clothes for some reason. His gi was completely black, save for a red belt. On his right ear, he had a single earring.

Her eyebrows furrowed. "Grandpa? What's with the clothes?"

Her Grandpa ignored the question and examined the rabbit. "Nature, allowed to run its course, is a beautiful thing. Without the interference of you mortals, everything is as it should be."

Pan grew confused, what in the world was he going on about? "Grandpa?"

Her Grandpa slowly raised his head, a wicked grin on his face. The moment their eyes met, Pan froze with fear, seeing the raw cruelty and evil in those eyes. This man... he wasn't...

She leaped back, causing the rabbit to flee in fear. "Your not my Grandpa! Who are you?!"

The man smirked. "I've gone by many names over the years. You, Son Pan, would most likely know me as Black, though, I tend to prefer Zamasu."

The color drained from Pan's face. This was Goku Black, oh shit...

The man grinned savagely. "Yes mortal, know my name and despair like all who came before you. The sins of your forefathers conspire against you, the judgement of a god, of me, against your kind, still stands. Absolute death and eradication of ALL mortals."

His hair went straight up and turned dark pink along with his eyes. His aura turned to a deadly dark rose shade of color. "Still, I suppose I could make your death quick. You at least showed some appreciation for nature."

Pan fell onto her butt, staring up at him in shock. So this was Super Saiyan Rose...

Black reached down and grabbed her by her throat, lifting her into the air. "The choice is yours, close your eyes for a quick death, or struggle against me and I will make your final moments painful."

"Go... to... hell...," spat Pan, turning Super Saiyan 2 and trying to pry his hands from her throat.

Black grinned and began to tighten his grip. "You first."

 _ZIP_

 _Latch_

Her real Grandpa appeared next to them, his Super Saiyan Blue aura ignited, and grabbed Black's wrist. "Let. Her. Go."

Black grinned at him. "Son Goku, so pleasant to see you again."

Black dropped Pan and turned, driving a knee up into Goku's stomach and then smashing a fist into his face, sending him flying. Black did not pursue, merely watching Goku hit the ground and skid along painfully. Pan scrambled away, putting some distance between herself and the fight.

"Tsaaaa!" exclaimed Goku, rubbing his face, "He's way stronger than I remember."

Black smirked. "It has been years Son Goku, and we knew you would be coming. Our training has been extensive and brutal, breaking this body and healing it again and again, you don't stand a chance."

Goku slowly shook his head. "If you say so, but, I can already tell your the one who doesn't stand a chance."

Black beckoned him forward. "If that's the case, then come! Show me that rage I so hunger for."

Goku narrowed his eyes. "Why? So you can keep recovering from near death and growing stronger? I'm ending this, NOW! Kaio-Ken times twenty!"

Goku's aura exploded and he blitzed Black, throwing a fist towards his face. Once more, Pan felt all the color drain from her face as Black caught the attack and Grandpa's Kaio-Ken abruptly disappeared and his power returned to normal. Black held Grandpa's wrist steady, a smirk on his face. Goku looked stunned, disbelief coating his face.

"You... you canceled my Kaio-Ken?!" exclaimed Goku.

Black wagged a finger back and forth. "Using the technique of the gods against one? Tsk tsk."

Black bent Goku's wrist and then backhanded him, sending him reeling. "No, mortal, you will have to use your own power for this, and we both know, your meager power is no match for the might of a god. It is YOU who does not stand a chance."

"BLACK!" came a shout from Vegeta.

The short man barreled into Black before he could react and floored him to the ground. He knelt on top of him and began raining in brutal punches to his face. He pulled back a hand and began to deliver a crushing blow...

 _ZIP_

Pan watched as a Kaioshin, Zamasu in his real body, appeared and grabbed Vegeta's hands. "Mortals should know better than to lay their filthy hands on a god."

Zamasu placed a hand against Vegeta's shoulder and blew a hole clean through it. Vegeta roared in pain and staggered back, falling to the ground, clutching his wound.

"Kamehameha!" shouted Gohan.

Pan turned to see her father arrive and unleash an energy wave right at Zamasu. She watched, as it hit and exploded. She smirked, that attack had been unguard, he was done for... wait... NO WAY!

She watched in disbelief as Zamasu's wounds instantly healed.

"That's right, he's immortal," murmured Goku.

Black stood up and stood next to Zamasu, a smirk on his face. "So everyone is here at last, good."

Goku turned to look at Chronoa, an ill look on his face. "Supreme Kai of Time, what's the disturbance in this timeplane?"

Chronoa fearfully raised a hand, releasing a pulse of energy. To Pan's horror, both Zamasu and Black glowed gray.

"Uh... how do we kill an immortal without All-Chan?" asked Goku nervously.

Zamasu smirked. "You don't."

Vegeta rose to his feet, hand clutching his wounded shoulder. "Damn it..."

Black turned to him and rushed forward, clobbering him to the ground with a single hit, knocking the Super Saiyan Blue out of him. "This time, appetizer, know your place and stay down."

"Zamasu! Stop this!" cried out Chronoa, "You have to know that time cannot..."

Zamasu held up a hand. "Cannot what? We agree with Towa that creation has failed. What better way than to destroy it all and rebuild from the ground up?"

Chronoa was livid. "You piss poor excuse for a kaioshin!"

Zamasu smirked at her. "And all we have to do to be a part of that process, to create a new existence, is to wipe out your little group and silence a loud mouth harpy Kaioshin of Time. Quite the easy task if you ask me since your, hired muscle, is no match for us."

Zamasu glanced over at Pan, curiosity on her face. "Not to mention, her information on the child being the most dangerous seems false. She's weaker than even Trunks was, by far."

Pan grew confused. Her? The most dangerous? The hell were they talking about? She was nothing compared to the others as much as she wished she wasn't.

"Dad, got any ideas?" asked Gohan.

Goku's face was grim. "Um, not unless we can go make a rice cooker for the Evil Containment Wave real quicker, but even then that wouldn't get rid of the timeplane..."

Zamasu grinned. "Accept your fate mortals, its over."

Both Goku and Gohan adopted a fighting stance and waited. Black and Zamasu slowly walked towards them, taking their time, not giving any great care or respect towards their opponents. Pan watched, wracking her brain and wondering how they were supposed to pull this off... wait...

"Grandpa! The button!" Pan yelled.

Goku's eyes went wide before he smirked and pulled out the Omni-King button and pressed it. "And here's All-Chan!"

Zamasu and Black froze for a second, fear on their faces. However, nothing happened. They looked around and exchanged glances and chuckles.

"It appears there's no Omni-King in this timeplane," said Zamasu with glee.

"Indeed, our work continues un-interrupted," said Black.

Goku stared at the button in disbelief. "Crap..."

"Dad! We need ideas!" shouted Gohan nervously.

"Your the smart one! You come up with something" yelled Goku.

Black chuckled. "My, how mortals bicker and squabble without need. It's an amusing sight."

Black disappeared and reappeared, smashing a fist into Gohan's face and knocking him to the ground. "Amusing, but highly annoying and grating to my divine ears."

Goku rushed Black and thrust a punch. Black blocked and formed a ki blade with his other hand, thrusting it forward and skewering the right side of Goku's body. He yelled in pain and staggered back, falling to a knee. Black held the ki blade to Goku's neck, a smirk on his face.

"My how the mighty has fallen. I remember when we first met, how you bested me with such ease. It is gratifying to see that situation reversed," said Black.

"I'm hardly satisfied though with such an easy win," said Black, shaking his head sadly, "You didn't even last long enough to give me a power boost."

Gohan rose to his feet and rushed Black from behind, only for Zamasu to smash into him and knock him aside. "Did I not say mortals were to not touch a god?"

Zamasu began to bombard Gohan with light ki blasts, forcing him to stagger back hit by hit. Black came from behind and smashed a two-handed fist into the back of Gohan's skull, knocking him out. Pan took a quick look at Goku and Vegeta, both were badly injured with a hole each through their body, both had dropped out of Super Saiyan Blue and were struggling not to lose consciousness. Pan's jaw dropped, her eyes watering, her body shaking in fear. They had just... her family and friends had just be utterly dominated...

Black looked over his work, nodding solemnly. "I suppose this is how it should be. Since we no longer need to toy with them and use them to gain power, mortals should fall before gods with but a wave of our hand."

Zamasu nodded. "Indeed, now, only one thing remains..."

They both looked up at Chronoa, who stared down at them grimly. She ground her teeth, aimed her White Time Ring at them, and gave a yell. Pan was surprised to see a huge burst of white energy erupt from the ring. Zamasu's eyes went wide, he shoved Black back, and dove headfirst into the blast. His body was completely destroyed in the explosion, only to reform rapidly.

Black put two fingers to head forehead, teleported behind the Supreme Kai of Time, and knocked her out with a chop of his hand. He grabbed her by the arm and floated down to set her on the ground. He held up her hand and examined the White Time Ring.

"Impressive, if that blast had hit me, I might actually have died," mused Black, "That ring is... impressive.

He tried to pry the White Time Ring off her, only to struggle and fail as it seemed to not budge. He gave a growl of annoyance and stood up, aiming a hand down at the Kaioshin to kill her.

"STOP!" yelled Pan.

Black's eyes flickered up to see Pan fly over and land a ways in front of him. "Why are you doing this? This isn't right!"

Black scoffed. "Right? What does a fool mortal girl like you know righteousness? Of justice?"

"A hell lot more than you do apparently!" she shouted.

Black threw back his head and laughed. "Is that so?"

Black stepped pass the fallen Kaioshin and walked up to Pan, looking down at her. "So, you'd defy a god's word? Challenge them on the very meaning of their actions?"

Pan knew she had to buy time, buy time for SOMETHING, ANYTHING, and struggled to control her fear. "Yeah, I do."

Zamasu laughed from behind her. "Amusing, and once again, proof of the foolishness of mortals. Now, its time we finished this."

Zamasu laid a ki blade next to her neck, ready to kill her, before Black held up a hand. "Wait."

Zamasu frowned. "Why?"

Black grinned. "Because I accept her challenge."

Zamasu removed the ki blade and walked around to infront of Pan, staring at his other self with curiosity. "What do you mean?"

"What better way to end this existence than with a spar of ideals and words? Its how this all began after all, its how it should end," said Black, "I say we form a tribunal and prove, even to the mortals themselves, that their existence is a plague upon creation. To grant them true understanding."

Zamasu smirked. "How noble of a god, to allow mortals once last chance for forgiveness and to explain to them their folly."

Zamasu snapped his fingers, and in a flash, they all disappeared.

* * *

Pan groaned and rose to her feet, shaking her head before looking around. She gave a start, where in the world were they? They looked like they were in some kind of weird courthouse floating in the middle of space. She was, alone, on a pedestal. Down below her on a floating bench were Goku, Gohan, Vegeta, and Chronoa. Their wounds had been 'slightly' tended to, but they were still ragged. Below them was no floor, just the endless, vastness of space. To the sides were elegantly crafted walls with windows. Infront of Pan, higher in the air, sitting on thrones that looked an awful lot like the thrones of the Omni-Kings, were Black and Zamasu, who were staring down at her.

"Good, the defendant has awoken, its time for the trial of mortal's to begin," said Zamasu with glee.

Pan bristled, feeling her anger rocket. They were treating this like it was some kind of sick game...

"We, the gods, have decreed all mortals as sinners! They endlessly war with one another, inflict upon others such cruelty and depravity that it is sickening," shouted Black.

"They have broken the rules of creation! Time and time again!" shouted Zamasu.

"First with Trunks and his 'time machines'," spat Black.

"Then, when we searched your memories, by stealing power from the Omni-King himself to rip open a whole between all dimensions, truly an unforgivable act!" scolded Zamasu.

Pan felt violated. "You searched my memories without my permission?!"

Black scoffed. "A god needs no permission from mortals."

Zamasu studied her, a sadistic look on his face. "You've seen it, we know you have. You bore witness to a world full of mortals, devastated by other mortals in pointless warfare. The world of... Terra, wasn't it?"

Pan said nothing.

"Well? Did you or did you not see mortals, Saiyans, slaughtering other mortals, humans, for no other reason than they existed?" demanded Black.

"I did," muttered Pan.

Black threw his hands up into the air. "Proof, once more, of mortal folly."

"How is that fair to the mortals who wanted no part of it?" yelled Pan, "The humans of Terra just wanted to survive!"

Zamasu smirked. "Is that so? They wanted nothing else?"

He held up a hand, and a brief illusion of Odianna appeared in front of him. "This one wanted so much more, didn't see? Death to each and every Saiyan in her universe. Complete genocide, driven by nothing divine, only unbridled hatred. Whats worse, she herself abused the divine right of immortality for herself. Such a sinner, its sickening, nothing but vile evilness."

Pan stood there, frozen, staring at the image of Odianna silently. A surge of memories overtook her and played before her eyes. Emotions raged through her body and slowly, she bowed her head.

"Do you deny that she was wicked?" asked Black, "That she, your so called 'friend', is the perfect proof of mortal folly?"

"Yes and no," said Pan, her voice hoarse.

Zamasu raised an eyebrow. "Oh? Explain then your reasoning."

"Maybe she's a sinner, I don't know, that's not my call to make," said Pan, her voice pained, "But if you think she was always like that, your wrong. She was twisted by the Saiyans to be like that, and even still, she was capable of kindness."

"Twisted?" scoffed Black, "Did she not admit to you that she would never let go of her hatred? She is like that by her own designs and desires. And kindness? You think one or two 'nice' acts can outweigh the sins of mortality?"

Zamasu dismissed the image of Odianna and held up a hand. "Perhaps she is right though."

Black gave him a curious look. "Oh?"

"Mortal life IS a twisting, vile thing. The few mortals who perhaps did not abuse their gifts, always left to fend for themselves and perish, or be twisted to become as vile as those who abuse their god given knowledge," mused Zamasu.

Black nodded solemnly. "Ah, wise and thoughtful words, truly befitting of a just god."

Pan ground her teeth, the only thing twisted here were these so called 'gods' twisting her words around on her. "What about Bata then? You had to have seen her in my memories."

Black thought for a moment. "I know of the child. Why?"

"She was exactly the opposite! She unknowingly served a tyrant, who pretty much everyone made out to be a god mind you, and helped to overthrow him by reviving!" said Pan, hoping to use their own 'god syndrome' against them.

Black's eyes narrowed, anger on his face. "A mortal impersonating a god, I give you and your... Bata friend, due acknowledgement for snuffing such a mortal out. However..."

Zamasu smirked. "That is but one 'good' act, against countless trillions of acts of evil and vileness. It is FAR from being enough to cleanse the entirety of mortality of their sins. So congratulations, you did one good act and perhaps deserve a quick and clean death as a reward."

"Actually," mused Black, "That act was a sin in of itself. She was brought back to life from death, an act defiant of nature. So, scratch off that one 'good' act, as it was marred by sin."

She bowed her head and clenched her fists, her anger rising. They weren't actually having any kind of 'trial'. They were just gloating and rubbing in their victory to inflate their own egos and re-validate their own opinions in their mind. They had no desire to listen to her at all. The hell was the point of this? She glanced down, eyeing the others. They were all awake, and watching, but all she had to do was look on their faces to see the lack of any hope or enthusiasm. They knew how this was going to end just as she did. They were going to die, she wasn't even going to see her mom again before it happened...

She blinked a few times and stood straight, eyeing them, if she was going to die then so be it, but she was going to do her damn best to make sure they questioned themselves every step of the way. "One 'good' act against trillions of evil ones eh? I call that bluff!"

Zamasu glared at her. "Arrogant mortal! You will watch your tone when speaking to gods!"

Black on the other hand seemed amused. "Bluff you say? Explain."

"A kid falls down and scrapes her knee, a mother comes, cleans the wound, puts a band-aid on it, and gives it a kiss," said Pan, "How often do you think that one act of good happens huh? How many other acts of charity like that happen all the time all day every day?"

Zamasu and Black exchanged glances before throwing their heads back and laughing.

Zamsu waved a hand, and an image of an injured lion laying on the ground appeared. A lioness walked into view and rubbed its head against its mate's and began to lick the wound clean.

"These animals, without any god given wisdom, do the exact same thing," rebutted Zamasu, waving his hand and dispersing the image.

"As such, your argument is null and void," finished Black.

"That's bullshit!" yelled Pan.

Zamasu chuckled. "Like a foolish ignorant child, the mortal yells and whines at their creators."

"You know what? I'll rest this with ONE final question that I KNOW you can't rebuke," shouted Pan.

Black raised an eyebrow. "Oh? Willing to rest the fate of mortality on one single question? By all means, ask."

"Is murder wrong?" asked Pan.

Black nodded. "Of course."

"Then what the hell do you call the mass murdering of mortal's you two do then?!" exclaimed Pan.

Zamasu shrugged. "A necessary evil forced upon us by the sins of mortals. Woe be it that we must bear that sin ourselves to cleanse mortality and let them begin anew under our righteous guiding hand."

Pan stared at them in disbelief and screamed. "You arrogant self-conceited narcissists!"

Black slowly shook his head. "And thus ends the case of mortals. Our judgement that all mortals must perish still stands."

"Stop this!" Pan yelled, "Stop this before its to late! Before there's no one left!"

"No one left?" mused Zamasu, "Oh you poor foolish mortal. There IS no one left."

Zamasu waved a hand and images began to play infront of Pan. She watched, horrified, as world by world, Zamasu and Black committed genocide, murdering and slaying entire species with glee. She took a step back, her courage failing, and pure, raw, fear and terror emanating from her. She began to shiver, a coldness entering her body.

She began to glow with a soft green light. "S-stop it..."

* * *

Goku watched, feeling sickened and disgusted at what he was seeing. Of all the vile, most evil monsters he had ever encountered. Black and Zamasu were at the top. He felt proud that Pan had tried, even at the end, to try and make them see reason, but he knew it was for nothing. He cursed himself, he was, what was it called? A one trick pony? He had nothing else if the Kaio-Ken failed to close the gap between himself and stronger enemies. Pan didn't deserve to go through this and die. He could feel the raw fear radiating off her... wait... was she glowing?

"That energy," whispered Gohan.

He shook his head and stood up. "PAN! Use the power! Escape to another dimension! RUN!"

Zamasu glared down at him angrily. "Be silent mortal!"

Black aimed a finger, unleashed a beam, and blew right through Gohan's skull, killing him. "I believe were done here."

Goku's eyes went wide with horror. "Gohan!"

"Daddy?" came a whisper that wrenched his heart.

He looked up to see Pan staring down at Gohan in shock. Goku felt her fear give out, and then, for it to be replaced by fury. "DADDY! WAAAAAAAAAGHHHHH!"

Pan let loose a heart wrenching scream. For a moment Goku thought a portal to another dimension was going to appear as reality tore open to the northwest, southwest, northeast, and southeast of Pan and green energy flowed from the tears, just as it had when Goku had originally made his wish for dimensional travel. But rather than condense and make a portal, they condensed on Pan, being absorbed into her body. Her green aura exploded in size, and her eyes and hair changed color. The four tears resealed themselves suddenly, the last whips of energy flowing into Pan's body. She floated there, a maddening rage on her face, glaring hatefully up at Black. Unlike with what Gohan had said, the energy was stable, and was lasting a hell of a lot longer than one moment. Her ki... her ki was titanic compared to the brief burst that Goku had felt on the last timeplane.

Black narrowed his eyes and ignited his Super Saiyan Rose form. "Well now, it appears Towa was not mistaken. That power is significant. I'm curious, what is this child? Some new kind of Super Saiyan form?"

Goku frowned and muttered quietly to himself. "No, Gohan was right. Her hair is flat and not spiking, nor does it feel like she's Super Saiyan. This is something else..."

"Well child? What is-" began Black.

Pan disappeared and reappeared, smashing a fist into Black's face and sending him flying, blood and saliva flying out of his mouth. Pan flew after him, screaming in rage, and smashed him through a wall of the 'courthouse'. Black righted himself, glared at her, and threw himself forward, smashing a fist into Pan's face. She took the hit, her head snapping a bit back, before she slowly forced his hand away just by moving her head back. Black's eyes went wide and he backed away.

Vegeta's spoke with disbelief. "She, how, just how? She closed the gap, from Super Saiyan 2 to overpowering Super Saiyan Rose... what IS this?!"

Pan drove a fist into Black's stomach and flew up as he doubled over, smashing a knee into his chin. She went over his head, grabbing his hair as she passed, screamed, and threw him with at her might through the podium she had been originally standing on. She rushed after him and began to hi him over and over again before clobbering him one final time and smashing him back into his own throne, breaking it in half. She floated there, a cruel smirk on her face, apparently finding delight in brutalizing Black.

Goku frowned, noting that Zamasu had yet to interfere, he was instead watching with muted interest, no concern on his face. Black slowly floated back towards Zamasu, cradling his chest, blood a bruises coating his face. Rather than look alarmed, he seemed excited, giddy, eager. He and Zamasu exchanged wicked glances before Zamasu placed a hand on Black's chest, healing energy pouring through him.

Goku swore aloud as he felt Black's energy recover and rise. "Son of a bitch..."

"Yes, YES!" roared Black, his aura igniting even stronger than before.

Pan winced, raising a hand to shield her face. The moment she lowered it, Black was there, and smashed a fist into her face, sending her reeling back. Black flew forward and struck at Pan, only for her to catch his fist. Black threw another fist forward and Pan caught it as well. The girl struggled, grinding her teeth, putting all her effort into keeping him at bay.

"Damn him, they're even-ish now, he's just using her to get stronger," grumbled Vegeta, "Its the same damn thing with Black every time. I swear I almost hate him more than I do Freeza."

Goku looked over at the dead Gohan sitting next to him and sighed. "Yeah... I do to..."

Chronoa looked ill at ease. "Even if Pan can kill Black, there's still the problem of Zamasu. Not to mention, I don't know how we're going to get Gohan back. I doubt Black and Zamasu left any dragonball's active."

Goku went silent at that. They... they couldn't just leave Gohan's spirit here! They had to figure a way to get him back!

Goku felt a shift of ki and looked up to See Zamasu come at Pan's side and two-handed smash her shoulder, knocking her away. Black gave him a nod and the two of them pursued Pan. She righted herself, looked at the two oncoming enemies, and smirked. She gave a cry of fury and dove headfirst right at Black, smashing her skull into him and sending him flying. She turn and swung her hand like a sword, severing Zamasu's head from his shoulders, only for it to immediately reattach. She glared at the sight and grabbed his skull in her hands, crushing it, and then throwing him away. His head began to regenerate immediately, but it was obvious Pan had lost interest in him. She surged at Black, who was rubbing his head painfully, and kicked him square between his legs. Black's eyes bulged and he wheezed in agony. Pan began to beat him over and over again once more.

Vegeta ground his teeth. "What is she doing? PAN! STOP SCREWING AROUND AND KILL HIM!"

Her only response was delightful laughter as she continued to knock Black around. Goku began to feel nervous. Chronoa was right, Pan had absolutely no control of herself when using this power. He caught sight of Black, a grin on his face, allowing himself to be further beaten. Shit, she had the advantage before, but now he was doing it again. If he recovered once more than even Pan's strength wouldn't be enough.

Goku closed his eyes, took a breath, and let it out, reaching for his ki. "We have to step in."

"And do what Kakarot? This is all her, we can't touch Black, the best we could do is inconvenience him and Zamasu," said Vegeta bitterly, "Damn that Towa, she set everything up perfectly these last two timeplanes, giving our enemies far to much time to prepare themselves for us."

"Pan LOOKOUT!" shouted Chronoa.

Goku looked back at the fight to see Zamasu trying to plunge a ki blade through Pan's back, only for the girl to turn and catch it in her hand. She grinned at him, wagging a finger, and completely bent his hand back the wrong way. Zamasu gave a yelp of pain before Pan kicked him back. However, with her back turned, Black came at her from behind, slamming a two handed-fist into the top of her head and sending her plummeting down. While Pan was out of the way, Zamasu placed a hand on Black and healed him once more.

Black grinned and held out his hands, examining them. "Marvelous, simply marvelous. The potential of this body when inhabited by a god, endless power!"

Pan gave a roar of rage, flew up, and smashed a fist into Black's face. Black's head barely turned, he smirked at Pan and backhanded her, sending her flying down. She righted herself and floated there, glaring furiously at Black.

Goku sighed with defeat. "Dammit..."

"Hahahaha!" roared Black with mock laughter, "Even your new Super Saiyan form is no match for the power of a god!"

Super Saiyan... wait... THAT'S IT! This form WASN'T Super Saiyan, which means...

"PAN!" Goku shouted, "Remember what he did to your father, what he did to all the mortals in this universe. Get angry, get furious, AND GO SUPER SAIYAN!"

Vegeta gave a start and looked at him. "Kakarot?"

Black's eyebrows furrowed. "Go Super Saiyan? Is she not already?"

Pan began to shake with rage and screamed none-stop. "AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"

Goku had to shield his eyes as blinding green light erupted from Pan. The hair on the back of his neck stood straight up as energy washed over them all. In a split second, he lost any sense of Pan's ki. He was dumbfounded, and lowered his eyes, gazing on his now 'green' Super Saiyan granddaughter. He couldn't... he couldn't sense anything from her. It was like he was meeting Beerus for the first time again. He had no grasp of her ki at all. He knew what going Super Saiyan did for one's power, and he couldn't even begin to imagine how strong she had just become. Goku nervously smiled, it was scary to think, but, she might have just surpassed Beerus, or at least broke even with him. And that power, was all they would need.

Black studied her for a moment before he threw his head back and laughed. "Yes, YES! That's the way child! Fight me! Make me stronger and stronger each time until I am the true god, beyond the Omni-King himself! Then, I SHALL..."

Pan disappeared and reappeared, placing a hand against Black's chest and spoke with no warmth in her voice, only a cold, deadly tone. "Die."

Energy erupted from Pan's hand and completely swallowed Black before he could even scream. The energy continued on through space, ripping open the universe and leaving a green tear that seemed to seep out and slowly spread.

"What. The hell. Did she just do?!" exclaimed Chronoa.

Pan slowly turned towards Zamasu, flashing him a deadly smile. "You... damn gods... I'll kill EVERY ONE OF YOU!"

She moved, faster than Goku could follow, and put her fist through Zamasu's skull and ripped his head completely off. She began to laugh manically as he regenerated and she kept on brutally tearing him apart.

"I think I might be sick," muttered Chronoa, moving a hand to block her mouth.

"Kakarot! Look!" said Vegeta, pointing a finger away from the battle.

Goku looked, sighting the tear Pan had made with her ki blast was now rapidly spreading. "Uh... Chronoa, what's going on?"

Chronoa threw a fit. "THIS is why people on the level of a destroyer god or above SHOULD NOT SERIOUSLY FIGHT! Forget Zamasu, even immortality wont save him when the entire universe this timeplane contains collapses."

"Wait! What about Gohan?!" exclaimed Goku, "If he's still in this timeplane's otherworld when it collapses..."

"I... I don't know what to do Goku," admitted Chronoa.

"Can't we just grab him from the otherworld and go?" asked Goku.

Chronoa's eyes went wide with disbelief. "Excuse me? Do you know how many rules that breaks to drag a dead spirit from the otherworld to... woah woah Goku put me down!"

Goku grabbed her by the collar of her Kaioshin robes and brought her to face level. "I am NOT leaving my son here. He wouldn't even have an afterlife to meet us in! I DON'T CARE how many rules I break. I'll take the blame from the Omni-King if he calls me out on it."

Goku threw her away from him and put two finger's to his forehead and focused. He had gone to otherworld enough times to figure out which ki signature to teleport to. He vanished and reappeared at the check-in station at King Yemma's desk. He didn't even acknowledge the red giant and rushed down the path. Gohan was slowly walking towards the check-in station, looking dejected and crushed.

"Gohan!" called out Goku.

Gohan looked at him, startled. "Dad?!"

Goku grabbed him, eyed the halo above his son's head and then put two finger's to his own forehead. "Talk later, gotta go NOW!"

He focused, turned Super Saiyan Blue, and forcibly ripped Gohan from the otherworld with him via instant transmission, causing a ripple of energy to begin to tear apart snake way. They arrived back next to Vegeta. Gohan looked at his own dead body, an ill look on his face, before he turned to look up at Pan.

"She has that aura and coloring again! But she's a Super Saiyan now?!" exclaimed Gohan.

"Oh boy, oh boy," said Chronoa, glancing at Gohan nervously, "This breaks so many rules. I'm going to be in so much trouble..."

"Alright, let's grab Pan and... wait... why is she bleeding?" asked Goku.

Pan was still smacking Zamasu around, though her movements had slowed a bit. Blood was leaking out of her nose and mouth, and one hand was clutching her chest above her heart. She was breathing with heavy labor and pained gasps. Despite all this, she was still attacking Zamasu maddeningly.

Vegeta crossed his arms and spoke gravely. "It started a moment after you left. I don't think her body is prepared to handle this kind of energy, she hasn't even ascended to godhood yet, she skipped right past it to whatever this is and now it's going to kill her if this goes on to much longer."

"PAN!" screamed Gohan as she smashed Zamasu far away with a heavy hit, "STOP!"

Pan froze and then whirled around, looking down at Gohan. "Daddy?"

The rage and hate on her face disappeared. Her eyes fluttered and closed, she lost her Super Saiyan form, lost the green glow a moment later, and plummited down. Goku flew out and caught her, rushing back to the group as he did.

"Alright, Chronoa get us out of here!" yelled Goku.

Chronoa glared at him. "Give Pan to Vegeta! Now!"

Goku stared at her and pointed at the tear in the universe getting closer. "We don't have time for..."

"YOU IDIOT! You can't just drag a deceased spirit back to the living world! The MOMENT and I mean the EXACT moment we return to your world and time, you MUST teleport Gohan to the check-in station, understand? If you don't you could risk wounding our universe almost as bad as Pan did to this one!" exclaimed Chronoa, "DO YOU UNDERSTAND?"

Goku handed Pan off to Vegeta, put two fingers to his forehead, and put his other hand on Gohan's shoulder. "Got it."

"YOU DAMN MORTALS!" screamed Zamasu.

Goku turned his head slightly, seeing Zamsu rushing at them, ki blade ready.

Chronoa sighed, raised her hand high into the air, and in a flash of light, they disappeared, leaving Zamasu to the collapsing universe...

* * *

 _ZIP_

The moment Goku even had the first clue they were back on their own Earth he immediately teleported to the check-in station with Gohan, landing right in from of King Yemma's desk.

The giant stared at him. "Son Goku? What in the world...?"

Goku let go of Gohan and scratched the back of his own head. "Uh, sorry about the interruption. Don't bother judging Gohan, were gonna bring him back in a bit."

King Yemma scowled. "Sure, whatever. Gohan, go sit on a bench and wait then."

Goku gave a thumbs up to Gohan. "Off to Namek, I'll meet you back on Earth."

Gohan nodded. "Alright."

 _ZIP_

* * *

 _Thirty minutes later..._

 _ZIP_

"Hey guys!" said Goku, teleporting back to Capsule Corporation, "What did I miss?"

Vegeta stared at him, scowling. "Idiot, always so damn cheerful and-OW."

Bulma was tending to his shoulder. "Your the idiot! Sit still!"

Goku looked around, sighting everyone starting to gather. He gave a sigh of relief, glad to be back on his own Earth.

"Dad!" Gohan called out with worry.

Goku frowned and followed the sound of his son's voice. He and Videl were kneeling down next to Pan, shaking her and trying to get her to wake up, Chronoa was also there a quiet, disturbed look on her face. Goku frowned, prodding Pan with his senses, what was up with her? He could barely feel a thing from her. Her ki felt... weird, quiet, not active at all, almost as if it were disconnected from her.

"Did you try healing her yet?" asked Goku.

Chronoa's temper flared. "Yes Goku, I DID!"

Goku knelt down and poked her. "Pan? Hey Pan! Wake up."

She didn't move or react at all.

"Huh, guess she's tired," said Goku.

Chronoa shook her head. "It's more than that. Goku, I don't have a clue what kind of energy that was. I've NEVER seen or felt it before. I don't know if it did some kind of damage to her ki, or even her soul."

"Don't say something like that!" yelled Videl, tears streaming down her face, "She'll be alright! I know she will!"

Chronoa sighed and rubbed her nose with frustration and began grumble quietly to herself...

* * *

Towa stared into her crystal ball, playing the scene where Pan split the timeplane's universe over and over again silently. She tapped her fingers on the table in thought.

"So, what now?" asked another Towa, "There's no way anything we can come up with can match that power."

"I'm not sure we will need to," said Dabura, "The child looks comatose. Now would be the ripe time to act. Strike out and create as many timeplanes as quickly as we can in order to gather energy."

Towa continued to tap the table, lost in her thoughts.

"Do you not agree sister?" asked Dabura, "By the time she recovers we will have created so many..."

"Pointless," interrupted Towa, "That would be pointless. Its clear to me, so long as the gods are around, they will continue to intervene and drag mortals into this affair to stop us.

Dabura frowned. "There's nothing we can do about that, sister. Slaying the gods, especially the Gods of Destruction, is beyond our power."

Towa smiled wickedly. "Perhaps it is beyond our power, but, dare I say it is not beyond our newest unwitting ally?"

One of the Towa's leaned forward. "Who are you talking about."

Towa waved a hand at the crystal ball and it focused in on the comatose Pan.

Dabura scoffed. "The girl? Surely you jest sister, she would never aid us."

Towa grinned mischievously. "Of course she wont, she'll follow her own path, and all we need to do is sit back and watch."

"What do you mean?" asked one of the other Towas.

"Allow me to show you," said Towa, aiming a hand at the crystal ball...

* * *

 _"You don't know?!" exclaimed Pan, "Your having us MURDER our friends and family when you haven't even checked for other options?!"_

 _Chronoa scowled at her. "Pan! You don't understand the stakes here! As the Kaioshin, the god ruling over time, it's my duty to..."_

 _Pan glared hatefully at her. "What I understand is that you, the 'high and mighty god of time' doesn't think its worth her time to try and help people rather than take the easy way out and wipe them out, using us to do your dirty work for you!"_

* * *

 _Pan slowly turned towards Zamasu, flashing him a deadly smile. "You... damn gods... I'll kill EVERY ONE OF YOU!"_

 _She moved, faster than anyone could follow, and put her fist through Zamasu's skull and ripped his head completely off. She began to laugh manically as he regenerated and she kept on brutally tearing him apart._

* * *

Towa chuckled darkly. "You see? The seeds of deicide have already been planted. Already she loaths the gods through their own actions. I wonder, how long will it take before she's set off by them? How many more acts must they do, how long will it be before she turns on the gods themselves with that beautiful green power of hers?"

The other Towas began to nod, understanding her plan.

Dabura frowned. "There's no guarantee she will, but regardless of that, the gods may send her after us before that happens."

Towa held up her hand with the Demon Time Ring and focused on it. "True, but that's easily solvable. They only came after us because the ring disrupts the control of time and acts like a beacon when it creates new timestreams. All I have to do is suppress its power, and everything goes back to normal until its time for us to make our move."

She smirked and laughed. "For now, all we need to do is watch, and wait, and everything will fall into place by itself. I assure your Pan will turn on the gods at some point, whether through her own actions, or because they force her to...

* * *

Goku paced back and forth, sneaking glances at Pan every now and then. It had been a few hours and she still hadn't woken up. Senzu beans, Dende, Chronoa's healing, it hadn't helped at all. He watched Bulma shine a flashlight into Pan's propped open eye, but she didn't react at all. He was starting to get really nervous. What was wrong with Pan?

"Its starting to get dark, and cold, we should take her inside to the infirmary," suggested Bulma after rising to her feet.

"No no, there's no need, we'll take her home and put her to bed," said Videl, trying to hide her concern.

Bulma sighed and put a hand on Videl's shoulder. "I don't think she's going to be waking up, at least, not anytime soon. She'll need special care, an IV, and someone to feed and look after her constantly. You both have jobs you need to get back to. I can hire someone to take care of her and constantly run tests to check for cognitive activity."

Videl bowed her head, saying nothing. "..."

"How could you let something happen to my grandbaby!" exclaimed Chi-Chi, glaring at Goku and then Vegeta.

Vegeta scowled. "She did it to herself."

"We wouldn't be around if she hadn't," pointed out Goku.

Gohan rose to his feet and approached Bulma. "I... guess I agree with you. Please, look after Pan. We'll be checking in on her every day though."

Bulma nodded. "Of course."

Gohan stopped suddenly. "Or at least Videl well."

He clenched his fists. "We still have to go deal with Towa."

Chronoa cleared her throat. "Actually... about that..."

Goku looked over at her. "About what?"

"There hasn't been any new disturbances since we got back," explained Chronoa before she took off her White Time Ring, "What's more, I can feel my normal power again."

Goku blinked a few times. "You mean she gave up?"

Vegeta scoffed. "I doubt it, she's probably deciding to lay low after catching sight of what Pan did."

Chronoa nodded slowly. "I agree. I doubt this is over, but for now, you guys have earned a much needed rest. I need to go back to Toki Toki City and help get everything back in order. After that, I'll have to wait for the Omni-King to get out of his meeting and go give him a report. Thank you again for your help."

With that, Chronoa vanished in a flash of light.

Goku crossed his arms and sighed heavily. "I wish we hadn't had to help though, that whole experience was awful."

"Why? What happened guys?" asked Krillin.

"It's a really long story," mumbled Gohan, "Right now, I just want to get Pan settled, and go to sleep. We'll talk tomorrow. After that though, I... I guess we'll just need to wait for Pan to wake up..."

* * *

 _Author's Notes:_

 _For an idea of what Pan would look like as a Super Saiyan with the green energy, go to this video: /R8DhtzKq260?t=91  
_

 _Warning: Time skip incoming, not a drastic one, but a decent one._

 _Were going to have an interval of a few chapters, maybe 1-3, where Pan has to struggle with herself for a bit before we turn to the next major arc. It will be a fun one, seeing the return of other Dimensions, and the return of a few characters we haven't seen for awhile..._


	36. Re-Adjustment

_**Potara - Chapter 36: Re-Adjustment**_

 _Beep - Drip - Beep - Drip - Beep - Drip - Beep_

Pan slowly became aware of a frequent, and very annoying set of sounds. She coughed and opened her eyes. She had no clue where she was. It almost looked like she was in a hospital room. She tried to move her head and grew annoyed when her body didn't respond. She tried to sit up, but nothing happened, tried to move a hand to move the blanket covering her, but again, nothing happened. She took note of a tube that was connected to her arm, was that an IV? She grew flustered, what the hell was going on? Why wasn't her body responding? Aside from breathing and moving her eyes, she couldn't do a damn thing herself.

"It's okay mom! I'll do the feeding today," came a vaguely familiar voice.

She shifted her eyes to see Bra enter the room with a tray that had a bowl of soup. The girl set it down next to Pan's bed and moved to the other end. Pan felt completely embarrassed when Bra reached under Pan's butt and pulled out a metal pan. Was that a bedpan? Oh kami, how long had she been here?!

Bra moved out of view, and then Pan heard the sound of a sink running followed by humming sounds. When Bra was finished, she moved back, lifted Pan's butt up, and slid the bedpan back under her. Pan felt mortified, her cheeks turning completely red with embarrassment. Well, it could have been worse, at least it was a friend, and not a complete stranger that had been apparently taking care of her. She figured she was in Capsule Corporation. The only question was what had happened, and how she had gotten here?

Bra moved back towards the tray, pulled up a chair, and sat down. "Okey dokie Pan, time for some soup!"

Bra reached forward, lifted Pan's head a bit, and moved a pillow to keep her head propped up without even looking, as if it was on reflex and had been done many times up to this point. If she was able to, she would have glared at Bra. Dammit girl! Pay attention! She was awake! Please do something, say something!

Bra swirled the bowl of soup and lifted the bowl and a spoon. She filled the spoon, leaned forward, looked at Pan's face, and then froze when their eyes met. "P-pan?!"

Bra dropped the bowl. "PAN!"

Bra lunged forward and embraced her in a fierce hug. "You dummy! How long have you been awake just staring at me?"

Pan tried to speak, but could only glare at her instead.

Bra pulled back and gave her a curious look. "Pan?"

There was a heavy pattering of feet before Bulma and Trunks burst into the room and rushed to the bed.

Bra looked to Bulma, concern on her face. "Pan's eyes are open, but she's not saying anything."

Bulma leaned forward and looked at Pan. "Pan, honey, can you hear me? Blink once if you can."

Pan blinked.

Bulma looked relieved for a moment before she cleared her throat and refocused. "From now on, blink once for yes, blink twice for no. Can you move your body?"

Pan blinked twice.

Bulma bit her lip briefly with agitation. "Crap crap crap. Okay, can you speak at all?"

Pan tried to say something, or even growl, but nothing came out. She blinked twice.

"Ah jezz," muttered Trunks.

"Go get your father," ordered Bulma.

Trunks nodded and left.

"What's wrong with her?" asked Bra.

Bulma scowled. "Your asking ME? There isn't a damn thing physically wrong with her. It's all this ki mumbo jumbo you guys keep talking about. You all keep saying its all weird and faint, so ask your father when he gets here."

Ki? Pan tried to focus for a moment before she grew horrified. Why the hell couldn't she feel her ki?! No wait, wait... it was there, but, it felt so small and distant. She could barely notice it. She focused her mind again and tried to nudge it, to draw on her power. It shivered momentarily, but did not respond.

"Grandbrat, focus," came a voice.

Pan blinked and shifted her eyes to see Vegeta standing next to her bed.

Vegeta laid a heavy gaze on Pan. "It's about damn time you woke up grandbrat. Having my family wait on you hand and foot for the last six months is a royalty your bloodline doesn't deserve."

Pan glared at him, wanting to tell him to shove it, before she froze. SIX MONTHS?! She had been unconscious for six fricking months?!

Vegeta saw the look in her eyes and nodded. "You've been in what's called a 'ki coma'. It's not a natural kind of coma. Generally, it only happens when someones lifeforce is stripped from their body and held away from them, forcing them into a vegetative state. To my knowledge only extraordinarily gifted psychics could do it, and they had to forcibly maintain the effort to keep it going."

Pan absorbed the information and blinked once.

Vegeta hesitated briefly. "After... the ordeal with Black and Zamasu, you seemed to enter and stay in that state for an extended period of time."

Black... Zamasu...

Pan's eyes went wide as memories of the ordeal rushed over her, ending with Black murdering her father and her suddenly losing consciousness. Her eyes began to water, dad was dead... he was dead and gone in the timeplane...

"Pan?" asked Bra worriedly, noting her tears.

"Hmph, Bulma, go call her mother and father and let them know shes awake," ordered Vegeta.

AND father? Dad was alive? How? Just what the hell happened after she lost consciousness? How in the world did they win that fight? She refocused, looked at Bulma, and began blinking rapidly, trying to catch her attention and stop her from calling her family. She did not want to see them in this state.

Bulma frowned. "What is it Pan?"

Pan blinked twice, wait a few seconds, then blinked twice again.

"No? No to what?" asked Bulma.

"Hmph, I get it," said Vegeta, "Hold off on calling the family for a bit."

"What?! WHY?" exclaimed Bulma.

"Because a warrior's pride does not permit being seen in such a pitiful state," explained Vegeta.

Bulma scowled. "You damn Saiyans and your pride. You DO realize your asking me to keep the fact that she's awake from her mother and father, right? They're going to be pissed."

"Tough luck. Alright, listen up grandbrat. If you want to get control of your body again, you need to get control of your ki," explained Vegeta, "Focus, meditate, do whatever you have to do. I'll tolerate you in this house only until noon, afterwords Bulma's calling your family and they're taking you home no matter what state your in. Understood?"

"Daddy!" exclaimed Bra, "Kicking her out like that is cruel!"

Vegeta smirked. "It's motivation, right grandbrat?"

Pan blinked once and then closed her eyes, trying to focus, nudging her ki again. When it didn't respond her eyes twitched with agitation. Like hell was she going to be stuck in a bed unable to even go to the bathroom by herself. She started to meditate, probing and nudging her ki to try and get it to respond over and over again. It was a completely and utterly aggravatingly slow process. Each nudge slightly moved her ki, and each nudge got her slight control of some of her body. By the hours end, she could twitch her fingers and toes. Not nearly enough progress for her taste, but it was a start. She shifted her eyes and looked for a clock, spotting one. Eight o'clock. Okay, four hours then to regain control of her body. Easy peasy, no problem... hopefully...

"Pan, you hungry?" asked a voice.

Pan shifted her eyes, seeing that Bra was still sitting by her bed, everyone else had left. She blinked twice in response, ignoring the grumble of her stomach. Bra raised an eyebrow at that, but went silent, merely watching Pan.

Pan ignored the girl and resumed her meditation tenfold, bombarding her ki endlessly, demanding that it obey and return to her. For another hour she struggled, gaining little results. Grrrr, it was like it was tied in some kind of tight knot that would not come undone. It was really starting to piss her off.

Her eyebrows furrowed in anger and she recklessly shoved all of her focus on it, trying to brute force her way back to regain control. She was shocked when it worked and her ki burst wide open inside of her. In that split second, she regained her ki, and then immediately regretted doing so.

Pan groaned as pain wracked her body. "Oww..."

"Pan! You said something!" said Bra with excitement.

"I wish I hadn't...," said Pan, cringing.

"You okay Pan?" asked Bra.

Her entire body felt aflame, and her ki felt mumbled and jumbled. She tried moving her right hand to push away the blanket on top of her, only for her left foot to kick up instead and for pain to rocket down her leg. She stared at the sight, lost and confused, before she tried again, only to have similar results.

"Umm, what are you doing?" asked Bra.

"Trying to figure out why my body isn't working right," said Pan with irritation.

Pan focused on her right hand and very slowly, very meticulously, lifted it up and pushed away the blanket, there was no pain this time. "This... is dumb."

Bra gave her a confused look.

"I have to one-hundred percent focus just to move my body the right way," grumbled Pan, "Not doing so hurts and moves the wrong body part."

Bra blinked a few times. "Okay, that's kind of weird. Just take it slow I guess?"

Pan nodded slowly and brought her self to a sitting position and shifted to the edge of the bed, letting her legs fall off the edge. She began to practice moving her limbs around, feeling stupid the whole time. Why the hell did she have to re-learn how to even use her own body?

She grumbled quietly to herself and slowly stood up...

"One sec Pan, let me get that IV out and pull off the wires," said Bra.

Pan sat back down and waited for her to finish before standing back up. Bra moved to stand next to her, ready to support if need be.

Pan shot her a look. "I'm fine."

"Suuuure you are," said Bra.

Pan scowled and took a hesitant step forward. Her foot landed fine, she took another step forward, and kept on going, walking to the wall, and then walking back to her bed. She sat back down and began to examine herself, first noting the hospital like gown she was in.

"Where's my gis?" asked Pan with irritation.

"Well miss woke-up-grumpy, they're in the drawer over there," said Bra, pointing towards a dresser on the other side of the room.

Pan clumsily walked over, opened the drawer, and grabbed her fox and turtle hermit gi's. She moved them to the bed and sat down, stripping her gown off and slowly getting dressed.

"Doesn't it get hot with two gi's on?" asked Bra.

Pan shrugged. "It never bothered me. Though, why are they so heavy?"

Bra gave her an amused look. "Heavy? Miss train all day thinks they're heavy?"

Pan didn't respond to the jab, something was off. These gi's should be nothing. It took her a moment to figure it out, while she had regained her ki, she wasn't using it, at all, even subconsciously. She resisted the urge to groan aloud. It was like her body didn't know how to do anything ki related anymore.

She closed her eyes and willed her ki to flow through her body. She shivered and couldn't help but release a moan of pleasure as she felt her power for the first time since she woke up. It felt so wonderful to feel it pulsing through her body for some reason. What in the world...

"Woah, jezz Pan, what was that? Your only supposed to do that kind of thing when no one else is around, or with a boyfriend," teased Bra.

Pan's face turned beat red. "S-shut up! It wasn't intentional!"

Bra giggled at her embarrassment. "Tee hee."

Pan glared at her. "And hey! Aren't you a little young to know about that kind of thing? We both are!"

Bra stuck out her tongue. "Well, I can't help but hear girl's gossip at school."

Pan rolled her eyes and stood up, examining herself. Now that her ki was actually flowing through her body everything was starting to feel a bit more normal. She still had to focus a bit, but moving her limbs wasn't that difficult. It was like her body was a rusty car, needed a good jump start of ki and some movement to get it going again.

She gave a start and turned her head, feeling a heavy throb in the back of her mind. Something was going on in the distance...?

"What?" asked Bra.

"I just... feel something," Pan replied.

Bra followed her gaze and closed her eyes for a moment before opening them. "Its just Goten and Goku training."

Pan kept her mind going in that direction. She grabbed her senses and focused on the throb, slowly massaging it and making sense of what she felt. The sensation separated into two powers, and then two presences. For some reason, they felt vague and unfamiliar. She turned her attention and focus back to Bra, using her sense against the girl. She KNEW her, but her senses didn't appear to.

She frowned, keeping her senses up and stretching them out again. Slowly, she became aware of higher powers compared to normal people and focused on them one by one. She searched her memories and connected them one by one to her friends and family. It was so strange to have to do so. Her body was like a little child that you had to hold their hand with teaching them something for the first time.

A worry suddenly crept into the forefront of her mind. She held out a hand and attempted to gather ki above it. Her hand briefly glowed, but no energy rose from it.

"Son of a bitch," swore Pan.

"Uh Pan, I don't think you should be practicing with ki in the infirmary," chided Bra.

Pan scowled at her and made for the door. "Gravity room then."

"Pan, seriously, you JUST woke up a few hours ago from a six month coma and you want to TRAIN?!" exclaimed Bra.

Pan gave her an evil eye. "I'm not training, I'm just getting my bearings and making sure my body works right."

Bra slowly shook her head and sighed. "Whatever, let's go then."

They walked to the gravity room, entered, and closed the door behind them. Pan held out her hand again, focusing her ki. Once more, her hand glowed, but no ki slipped from it. She couldn't help but growl with irritation.

"Umm, maybe I can help?" asked Bra, "Keep your senses on me and feel me do it."

Pan turned and watched Bra form a ball of energy in her hand and shoot it at the floor. Pan blinked a few times, played the memory and sensation of the action over in her head. She hesitated briefly, aimed a hand, formed a ball of ki, and fired it. She couldn't help but smile in relief.

"Okay, next step," said Pan.

She closed her eyes, focusing in on her ki, and attempted to draw it out and power up. She felt her ki shift and rise a little, but nothing happened.

"Grrr, hey Bra, power up a bit," ordered Pan.

Bra shrugged and did so, a soft blue aura wrapping around the girl. "K'ay."

Pan's eyes involuntarily went wide at the sight and sensation. A shiver went down her spine, an eager feeling went through her stomach. Slowly, Pan half-crouched, bared her teeth, and powered up.

"AHHHHH!" she roared, her hair flying up and a heavy aura of power engulfed her body.

She held up her hands, examining them, feeling strangely giddy. "Awesome."

She turned to look at Bra, noting a weird look on the girl's face. "What?"

"Your ki feels different than what I remember," murmured Bra uneasily.

Pan shrugged. "Whatever."

She clenched her fists and focused. With her ki surging through her body, everything just felt so right. She could feel her muscles twitching, techniques, fighting styles, transformations, they all suddenly passed through her mind. She closed her eyes, breathed in and out, before opening them.

"Kaio-ken!" she shouted.

A red aura engulfed her body briefly. It held for but a moment before the aura faded, leaving her hair and eyes in her natural mastered Kaio-Ken state. She nodded in satisfaction before turning off the ability.

"Good," said Pan, "Now, let's see about Super Saiyan."

"Umm Pan, maybe you should wait a bit," suggested Bra nervously.

Pan ignored her and searched in her mind for the spark. It should have been easy to transform, but she figured it would be best to re-ignite the reason in her mind. Ah! There it was, the memory of Aideen almost being killed. In an instant, her hair shot up, turned yellow, and her eyes turned teal. Energy rushed out and cloaked her body in a yellow glow.

Pan examined herself, nodding with satisfaction. "Great."

"Oww," came Bra's voice.

Pan looked to see the girl had fallen on her butt and scowled at her. "Oh come on Bra, all I did was turn Super Saiyan. I thought your dad made you train a little bit."

Bra stuck her tongue out. "Well yeah, but I was at least expecting to get a little heads up first. I'd of knocked you over if I went Super Saiyan when you weren't ready."

Pan raised an eyebrow. "You? Super Saiyan? Since when?"

She instantly regretted her words when Bra went Super Saiyan and was suddenly up in her face yelling, "Oh I don't know, maybe a year after you got back from the other dimensions! But miss TO BUSY WITH HER OWN TRAINING didn't even notice and come congratulate me!"

Pan winced, took a step back, and held up her hands defensively. "Sorry..."

Bra crossed her arms and turned her head away. "Hmph."

Pan stared at her for a moment before she burst out laughing. "You look just like your dad with that stance."

Bra glared at her. "You know what, screw it. We've all been so worried about you since you came back in a coma, but the moment you wake up your all stupid and grumpy and refuse to listen. I try to help, I get your lip, I get insulted, and you laugh at me. Your up and ready to go, you can see yourself out whenever."

Bra turned, relaxed her power to her base state, and made for the door.

"Hey Bra wait a second, I'm sorry!" said Pan, starting after her.

Pan winced at Bra slammed the door in her face. She sighed, Bra was pissed at her. Pan scratched her head bashfully, she could admit, she hadn't had a clue Bra was even that far in her training. Pan didn't think she had been rude, she was just concerned about getting control over herself again. Pan grumbled to herself and decided she'd have to make it up to Bra at some point.

Pan began throwing out punches and kicks for a minute before she stopped, no longer in the mood to test her body out. She gave a dejected sigh, dropped out of Super Saiyan and left the room, returning to the infirmary. She stared at the bed for a moment before she made it and then began to tidy up the room. After she finished, she found a piece of paper, a pen, and wrote a short thank you note and left it on the bed before opening the window and flying out.

She flew aimlessly for awhile, not sure where to go or what to do. She could go home and wait for dad and mom to get back from work. She could drop in on Goten and Grandpa's training session too. She dismissed the ideas, not feeling like dealing with people or training at the moment. Everybody was probably going to fawn over her finally being up and okay, and she didn't want to deal with that gushy gushy crap anytime soon.

She decided to just find someplace quiet and relax and think for a bit. She powered up a little bit, picked up speed, and shot across the world, glancing down at the terrain passing her by. She stopped suddenly, spotting a waterfall in a jungle. She floated down, sat down against a tree, placed her hands behind her head, closed her eyes, and sighed. She sat there saying and doing nothing but listening to the sound of the roaring waterfall...

* * *

Pan gave a start and woke up, looking around. It was nighttime, the moon was high in the sky. Her eyebrows furrowed, wondering what had set her off. She cocked her head, listening, and then turned to her senses. She could feel a lot of strong powers flying around the world. Her friends and family seemed to be up and about. Strange, it was kind of late for them to be up. Wonder what was going on...

She blanked for a moment before she smacked her forehead and groaned. "Ah crap, they're probably looking for me. Boy am I going to get an earful for taking off by myself."

"Yeah, you are," came a stern voice above her.

She gave a start and looked up, seeing Piccolo floating above her in the air, staring down at her. "Umm, how long have you been up there?"

"Ten minutes, wondering to myself how you could possibly be sitting there taking a nap when everyone is up and desperately searching for you," said Piccolo, irritation in his voice.

Pan crossed her arms. "I'm fine. All you had to do is ask Bra and..."

Piccolo landed in front of her and and gave her a look of disapproval. "We did ask Bra, and do you know what we heard? We heard that you were struggling to control your body and your ki."

"It wasn't that bad," muttered Pan.

"Pan," Piccolo's tone took a warning volume, "What were you thinking? What if you lost control and hurt yourself or someone else? What if you relapsed into your coma while out here and we never found you? You would have died of natural causes and we wouldn't have been able to revive you with the dragonballs."

Pan struggled to meet his gaze. "I... I just..."

Piccolo crossed his arms. "You just what?"

Pan started to lose her temper. "I just didn't want to deal with you people! Why do you think I went off by myself? Huh? To be alone for awhile!"

Piccolo glared at her. "Of all the selfish reasons..."

He shook his head. "Pan, everyone is worried about you, has BEEN worried about you for the last six months, and what do you do when you wake up? Instead letting your family know your okay, letting them see you awake for the first time in half a year, you act selfishly and go off 'to be alone'.

"Just shut up and go away, I'll go home in the morning," muttered Pan, struggling to hide her shame.

"Excuse me? Your going back to your family now, even if I have to drag you there," warned Piccolo.

Pan grew furious. "Oh really? And how are you going to manage that huh? I'm not some defenseless child! I'm way stronger than you are!"

Piccolo looked at her, baffled for a moment, before he sighed and brought up a hand to rub his nose. "I suppose I should thank you for the reminder. Even I forget sometimes that you ARE a child. Defenseless? Far from it. A foolish, young, upset, child? Yes."

Pan glared at him, feeling talked down to. "Go. Away."

"Pan, lets just go," pleaded Piccolo.

"No," said Pan stubbornly.

"Pan...," warned Piccolo.

"I'm not going! And that's final!" shouted Pan.

Piccolo studied her for a moment before smirking. "Alright then, child, were doing this the rough way."

Pan glared at him, her anger skyrocketing. She gave a cry of fury and her power exploded, ascending to Super Saiyan 2. She ground her teeth and glared at the silent Namekian.

"Don't say I didn't warn you," hissed Pan.

She burst forward and slugged Piccolo across his face, sending him rocketing back. He hit the ground, hard, blood leaking out of his mouth. He rose to his feet, narrowed his eyes, and took off his turban. They rushed at eachother and began rapidly exchanging blows.

She gave a yelp when he tripped her up and drove an elbow into the back of her neck, knocking her to the ground. "What's this sloppy form? You were trained better than this!"

Pan shoved off the ground, into the air, and released a bust of ki at Piccolo, sending him flying back. "Well sooooreeey for being out for half a year and being rusty!"

"Rusty? Hmph, that is far more than rust, I say you hardly know your own body anymore," countered Piccolo, "Your entire stance looks uncomfortable, as if you don't even know how to hold yourself."

Pan glanced down and shifted her legs and arms before looking back up to glare at him.

 _WHAM_

Pan skidded back and laid on the ground after taking a surprise hit to her chin. "You should know better than to take your eyes off an opponent. For what its worth though, you fixed up your stance a bit, so good job there, little girl."

Pan rose to a knee, wiping a bit of blood from her mouth, fury and shame battling for control, and gave a scream of rage. Her ki exploded in size and she closed the distance instantly, driving a fist deep into Piccolo's chest. The Namekian gagged, spewing a bit of blood, and flew back at the impact, landing on the ground in a heap.

"And YOU should know better than to piss off someone whose FAR stronger than you that you can't win against!" spat Pan.

Piccolo slowly rose to a knee, cradling his chest. "Perhaps, but winning by myself was never my objective. If they didn't know we were fighting before, they sure did after that last bit"

Pan frowned for a moment before she became aware of many ki signatures heading their way. "Son of a..."

 _ZIP_

"What the heck are you two doing?" shouted Goku.

Pan cringed, looking up to see Grandpa looking down at them with disapproval.

Piccolo stood up straight, walked over to his turban, and put it back on. "I was keeping her in one place and letting you all know she was here before she could take off again."

Goku nodded, crossed his arms, and turned his attention to his granddaughter. "Pan..."

"I did NOTHING wrong!" she shouted up at him, "All I wanted was to be left alone for awhile!"

He raised an eyebrow and pointed to the roughed up Piccolo. "You call beating up someone who was concerned and looking for you 'doing nothing wrong'?"

"Well maybe if he wasn't such an ass about it," muttered Pan.

Piccolo scoffed. "I called you out on being selfish and being a child, nothing more, nothing less."

Goku landed next to Piccolo and sighed. "Alright, the two of you, drop it. Both of you can apologize to one another and we can all just go home. Okay? What do you say?"

Pan looked up at the sky, eyeing the moon, before looking down at him, glaring at both of them. "What do I say? I say SOLAR FLARE!"

Pan put two fingers to either side of her head and unleashed a blinding light at them before powering down, suppressing her ki, and quickly taking off. She rushed a bit away and hid behind a tree.

"That little brat!" yelled Piccolo.

"Jezz, there's waking up on the wrong side of the bed, then there's falling off it instead," said Goku.

Pan felt the other ki signals arrive and meet up.

"Okay, what was that and where is my daughter?" demanded Gohan.

"She threw an unwarranted temper tantrum, hit us with a solar flare, and snuck off," said Piccolo.

"I dunno about unwarranted, with how mad she looked, you probably egged her on," said Goku.

Bra interrupted, her voice a little shaky. "B-but she was okay though, right? She wasn't hurt or anything?"

Pan suddenly felt a pang of guilt, noting how worried Bra sounded. She remembered what Piccolo had said and bowed her head in shame. She wondered if maybe she should just give it up. Maybe she was acting a little childish right now, but Piccolo didn't have to be so up front about it and talk down to her like that! She quietly sighed, this whole situation was stupid...

"Seemed so," said Goku.

"That doesn't let you off the hook Bra," warned Vegeta, "She was your responsibility once we left the room, and if she gets hurt or hurts someone because she has no control of herself, besides the namek, there will be hell to pay."

Pan stood up, stepped out from behind the tree, and shouted. "Hey! Leave her alone!"

The group froze, then turned to look down at her. Relief passed over most of their faces before it was replaced by irritation.

Gohan flew down and landed in front of her. "Pan! Of all the stupid reckless things you could have done..."

He embraced her in a fierce hug. "Don't ever do that again! You could have been hurt or hurt someone if you lost control!"

Pan scowled. "I'm fine, and c'mon, lost control? I might not have a good handle of my body right now but I'm not crazy."

Gohan separated from her slowly. "We'll, not now your not."

Pan gave him a confused look. "Huh?"

"Look, we'll talk in the morning, okay?" said Gohan.

Pan frowned, noting a wariness in his eyes. She shifted her gaze to look at the other's, noting it there too. Why were they looking at her like that? She thought about it, but couldn't come up with a reason. There was something else however that she was curious about...

She crossed her arms. "Fine, I'll go home, but you have some explaining to do. I was freaking out in my head before Vegeta let on that you were alive. How did you guys beat Black and Zamasu? How are your alive? The last time I saw you, Black killed you."

Gohan frowned for a moment. "Pan... you don't remember?"

She grew even more confused. "Remember what?"

Gohan sighed, looking conflicted. "Pan, let's just go home okay? We're all tired, and we'll talk in the morning, okay?"

Pan narrowed her eyes. "Your hiding something."

"How can I be hiding something if we haven't even talked yet!" defended Gohan.

"Pan, you killed Black and led to Zamasu's death," called down Vegeta.

Gohan smacked his forehead and sighed. "Really Vegeta?"

Pan stared up at him in disbelief. "Is that some kind of joke?! There's no way I could have fought either of them."

"Pan, we will talk, IN THE MORNING, alright?" demanded Gohan.

Pan stared at him quietly, all the fight gone out of her, replaced with quiet confusion. "Okay dad..."

They took off in the air, Pan following behind quietly. All she could think was: How could she have possibly have beaten Black?


	37. Power and Shame

_**Potara - Chapter 37: Power and Shame  
**_

Pan stood outside of the her family's house, practicing her martial arts quietly to herself. She hadn't been able to sleep at all, and waited until her father went to sleep to sneak out. The question was constantly plaguing her, keeping her awake. How had she killed Black? She found herself pondering that question while she refreshed herself on how to actually fight. Piccolo had been right when they fought, everything was uncomfortable and alien to her. Its like her body, her mind, and her ki didn't recognize one another and were completely off-balance. She was honestly surprised she had been able to even use the Kaio-Ken yesterday in such a state.

She kept going through the moves of Turtle style, Fox style, and the 'Saiyan way' of fighting Vegeta had taught her. Minutes turned into hours, and before long, the sun started to rise. She was tempted to sneak back into her room and act like she hadn't been out, but figured the sweat on her body and the bags under her eyes would give her away anyway so she kept going. Though, once she detected her mother and father getting up for the day she raised her ki so they'd know where she was and wouldn't think she'd run off again. She focused back on her training, but kept a small part of her mind on her parent's ki signatures, tracking their every movement and counting down the time before they'd come out and she could finally get some answers.

She was relatively satisfied that her fighting form had recovered, but that was only at her base state. She'd need to get a spar or two at Super Saiyan 2 to properly re-adjust to fighting at that level of power again. She started to grow annoyed when an hour passed and her parents made no move to come out and talk to her. What were they waiting for? Or was she expected to go to them? She pinpointed their location and resisted the urge to turn around and glare at them when she determined they were watching her out of a window.

She paused as a loud, VERY audible grumble erupted from her stomach and unbalanced her. Oh right, she hadn't eaten since... um... actually, she didn't know. She hadn't eaten at bare minimum since she had awoken from the coma. So at least almost a full day if not more. Mrs. Stomach sure wasn't happy with that.

"Pan, sweetie, I heard that from here. Come in an eat breakfast," called out Videl from the window.

Pan decided to give in and made for the door, walking into the house and making for the kitchen. Mom had already made her a bowl of cereal and was pouring another for her. Pan sat down and devoured the cereal, and the next five bowls her mother made for her. When she finished, Videl walked around the table and wrapped her arms around Pan, giving her a tight hug.

"I'm glad your finally awake and back home Pan, how are you feeling?" asked Videl tenderly.

"Fine I guess, my body and ki have been a bit strange since I woke, but I think I'm getting the hang of everything again," replied Pan.

Videl moved and sat down next to her. "Your ki... what exactly do you feel? Because it does feel strange to me."

Pan frowned for a moment. "Bra said the same thing."

"Everyone did when they felt you fighting Piccolo," said Videl.

Pan sighed. "Mom, please don't start..."

Videl held up a hand. "I'm not going to scold you for that. I want to focus on the here and now. What do you feel about your ki?"

There was a soft footfall and Pan turned her head to see her dad leaning against the doorway of the kitchen, keeping an eye on her.

Pan refocused. "Well, when I woke up, I almost couldn't feel it at all. It felt so distant, like it was hardly connected to me at all. I had to nudge it alot and then just brute force yank it back to me before I could even move my body. After that, I didn't really notice anything about my ki itself, just that my body didn't seem to react to having it properly until I began to actually use it."

"Hmm," murmured Videl.

"What does it feel like to you?" asked Pan.

"Well, honestly, I hardly recognized you with my senses when you powered up. There was a distinct 'Pan' feeling to what I felt, but the quality and structure of what I felt was completely different," said Videl.

Pan gave her a blank looked. "Huh?"

"What she means, is that we knew it was you, but it felt like a different you," said Gohan, "Before, your ki would often feel focused, serious, and then explosive when in use. Now? I can't get any sensation of emotion, your ki just feels like its constantly in motion and swirling around, like the eye of a hurricane. Even when your just sitting here doing nothing but eating."

Pan blinked a few times, pondering it. She had never really asked what her 'ki' felt like to others before. Dad's ki felt quiet and reserved, like the calm before the storm he could become when angered. Mom's was a happy, warm beacon that she could always go towards. She focused off in the distance. Grandpa's presence was strong, kind, and at times felt like a giddy little overeager kid. Vegeta's was always ill-tempered, structured, and prideful...

She blinked, shook off her thoughts and refocused. "Eye of a hurricane huh? I kind of like that description."

Gohan slowly shook his head. "Someone's ki doesn't just suddenly change like that, it just doesn't happen. Something caused it, and I have a hunch as to what, and I can't say the idea thrills me."

Pan looked towards him. "Alright then, spill it. Why do you think... actually wait, first thing's first. Black, Zamasu, explain, now."

Gohan rubbed his eyes. "I'm going to call Vegeta and your Grandpa, they ought to be here for this. I'll give Piccolo a mental nudge too, he said he wanted to be here."

Gohan did so, and ten minutes later they were all gathered outside of the house.

"Morning Pan!" said Goku happily,

"Morning Grandpa," she said back.

"Save the pleasantries and lets get this over with," said Vegeta.

Pan nodded. "Agreed, you said I killed Black. HOW!?"

"You blew him the hell up and literally tore the universe in half," was Vegeta's reply.

Pan scowled at him. "Stop screwing with me."

"I'm not," said Vegeta, his tone deadly serious.

Pan stared at him, bewildered. "You... can't be serious..."

"Pan, do you ever remember glowing green? Or using a kind of green energy?" asked Gohan.

Pan thought for a moment, searching her memories. "No, but... I do remember Bata told me when I first appeared in her dimension, I was glowing green."

Gohan nodded. "And when you teleported yourself and I out of that dimension, you were also glowing green. At first, all I thought of it was that it let you move between dimensions. But... when you destroyed Cooler and pretty much killed him in a single hit..."

"Wait, what?! Chronoa told me you beat him! And you guys went along with that?!" exclaimed Pan.

Goku scratched his head. "That was a lie, Chronoa wanted us to keep what you did from you."

Pan was livid, but held her tongue. "Okay then, what happened with Black and Zamasu?"

"You started glowing green shortly before Black killed Gohan," said Goku, "After that, the sky tore open like it first did when the portal to other dimensions was made, and green energy just poured into your body. You had a full on green aura, and it changed your eye and hair color."

Pan nodded slowly. "So I killed Black with that power?"

Goku shook his head. "No, not at first. Black started getting stronger, it was only after you went Super Saiyan along with using your energy that you won. Seeing what you did firsthand was... something else I'll tell you what."

Pan turned to face him, walked over, grabbed his hand, and put it on her head. "Don't tell me, show me."

Goku hesitated for a moment before he nodded and focused. Pan closed her eyes as his memories flowed into her head. She watched in disbelief as she took in the green energy and proceeded to dominate Black. She couldn't help but grow frustrated with herself when she screwed around and toyed with Black instead of killing him right away. Her eyes opened and went wide when she went 'Super Saiyan Green' and blew away Black and tore a green hole in the universe with one ki blast. She also felt a little scared of herself when she began to mutilate and butcher the immortal Zamasu over and over again.

"What... the hell...?" was all Pan could say.

"Hmph, exactly what we were saying, and have been saying," said Vegeta.

Pan stood there in a stupor, playing the gifted memories over and over again.

Finally, she shook her head and demanded. "How did I tap into that power?!"

Goku shrugged. "We dunno."

They didn't know? THEY DIDN'T KNOW?! That power was absolutely insane! If she could tap into that, no one could EVER threaten her or her family again. She had to have it! She felt her body craving it from the moment she first laid eyes on Grandpa's memory. It had to be hers...

"I still don't think it's a good idea for her to train to use it, if we ever figure out how to draw it out," said Piccolo.

Pan glared at him. "What? Why!"

Piccolo scowled at her. "Goku showed me the memory as well. One single attack and you led to the destruction of a universe within a 'timeplane'. It's unwise to tap into that kind of strength."

Pan thought furiously for a moment. He MIGHT have a point, but...

She smirked suddenly, a realization hitting her. "Your half-right, it was one attack, but it wasn't a regular attack, it was a big ki attack. When I was roughing up Zamasu afterwords, nothing like that happened. Regular attacks didn't seem to do anything but hit really hard. So when I figure this power out, all I got to do is stay away from ki blasts. Easy peasy."

She put a hand on her hip and waved her other hand. "Not to mention, maybe that destruction was only because I had no experience or control over that power? Maybe it wouldn't be as bad once I get a hang on it! And what's more, is a timeplane's universe as strong as a real timestream's universe? Maybe it wouldn't have done that kind of damage here."

Goku crossed his arms. "I'm not so sure Pan. Jumping into that kind of power is really risky, especially since you haven't even gone god yet."

Pan glared at him. "And just whose fault is that?! Ignoring the green energy for a minute. If you had taken me into the timechamber like you did with dad, I'd have already been on that level! I could have been really helping you against Cell! Against Black and Zamasu!"

"Pan, I just don't think your ready for the powers of a Saiyan God yet, nor this 'green power' either," began Goku, "Maybe when your older and have more experience..."

"Don't you start with that!" yelled Pan, "You've just been intentionally holding me back and keeping me weak!"

Goku looked at her in disbelief, hurt on his face. "Pan..."

She pointed a finger at him. "Don't you 'Pan' me! I CAN handle it! I know my body can!"

Vegeta scowled at her. "It's not a matter of body, but of mind, spirit, and intent. You've been throwing yourself into training, thirsting for strength ever since you returned to this dimension after your little 'dimensional trip' for these last three years."

Pan glared at him. "Excuse me? Your one to talk! Ever since I first met you all YOU do is train train train train!"

Vegeta narrowed his eyes. "That may be, but at least I don't act like a power hungry little leper accusing your Grandfather, someone who deeply cares for you, of plotting to keep you weak."

Pan flinched at those words, eying her Grandpa and seeing the hurt on his face. "W-well... I..."

She bowed her head and went silent.

Piccolo stepped forward. "Pan, for what reason do you so badly want that power?"

She looked up at him and narrowed her eyes. "So I can end ANYONE who threatens me or my family and friends!"

Piccolo stared at her for a minute before he sighed. "And that's why we don't think your ready."

She was baffled. "But... that's the exact thing you all train and fight for!"

Piccolo turned his back on her. "Is it? Pan, we don't fight to 'end' people. We will kill if we must, but our goal is to defend those we care about and better ourselves in the process. Not kill our enemies and mindlessly chase power. Goku might be more merciful, Vegeta and I might be less forgiving, but all three of us have the same goal. If you can't honestly see the difference between your reasons and ours, then you lost your way and don't even deserve the power you have at your fingertips now, let alone the power of a god or that green energy. If you keep on this path your walking, you'll end up worse than Freeza, Black, Zamasu, or any of the other villains we've encountered. I can only hope you realize this before you make an irreversible mistake."

With that, Piccolo took off, leaving her there, feeling shocked and numb.

Goku scratched his head. "Look, Pan..."

Pan whirled around, let out a tearful sob, ran back into the house and to her room, threw herself on her bed, buried herself in her pillow, and stared crying...

* * *

Goku sighed. "Well, that didn't end well."

"Hmph, it had to be said," said Vegeta, "And it had to be said now, while she's still younger and 'weaker' than us. If she was older, more set in her ways, and stronger, she'd readily reject our opinions for her own. I don't give a crap about all the mushy do-good shit you all talk about, but there is a difference between acting like a proud Saiyan warrior, and chasing power. You know Kakarot, if you were to offer her immortality right now, she'd probably take it and use the excuse that she'd use it to stop anyone from hurting us."

Goku rubbed his eyes tiredly. "I wish I was back fighting Black right now rather than doing this."

Vegeta smirked. "Tough luck Kakarot. It's called being a parent, or well, a grandparent."

"I've been worried about Pan, but, never to that degree. What Piccolo said was harsh... my daughter wouldn't ever turn out like any of those bad guys," said Videl.

"You think so? I've been around the galaxy before in my youth. I've seen benevolent leaders become tyrants, seen so called 'heroes' descend into depravity when push came to shove. You can easily damn yourself seeking the power to protect what you care for. All it takes is one tipping point, one act to push someone over the edge, and everything can change," said Vegeta, "Especially if she goes ballistic when using that green energy. If she woke up one day after accidentally killing any of you, it would devastate and change her.

He crossed his arms. "She could change back of course, but, when she has the power to kill a universe at her fingertips there might not be a chance to. It's best to make sure she specifically never needs to seek redemption to begin with. Be hard on her now, and she'll thank you for it later, its called tough love. The namek seems pretty well versed in that concept. Perhaps you should try it for once, Kakarot. You too Gohan."

Goku sighed. "I'll go talk to Pan..."

Gohan held up a hand. "No, I should..."

Goku shook his head. "Gohan, I've been in her head before, I've seen exactly what she's gone through and what she's done. I understand her a bit better than I think you do at the moment. Please, just let me talk to her first. Okay?"

Gohan met his eyes for a moment before he sighed and nodded. "Alright dad, I trust you."

Goku slowly walked into the house, mulling over what to say, he walked down the hall to Pan's room, stopping briefly at the sound of her heavy sobbing. "Huh, and people say words can't hurt."

He gave a sigh, rubbed his eyes, and walked into her room. He sat down next to her on her bed and thought for a moment. He recalled something Chi-Chi once did and put a hand on Pan's back, rubbing in a circle to try to relax and comfort her.

"Pan...," he began.

"I just want it to stop Grandpa!" she said hoarsely.

"E-every time, every damn time something bad happens, I'm to weak to do anything!" she cried, "First the lady at the town, then the farmers, then the people during the attacks on Terra, then Aideen and Aneurin almost die, t-t-then Odianna almost kills me, then Kojin kills me, then Bata and the old namek die, then I almost die against Kojin, then Majin Cuu almost kills me and dad, then Chronoa makes us murder timeplanes, then Cell almost kills me, then Black kills dad! It hurts, Grandpa, it eats away at me, IT'S NOT FAIR!"

Goku decided to stay silent and let her get it all out.

"It's not fair... when I try to get strong enough, you guys hold me back, say I'm not ready, an-and accuse me of being a bad guy?! I just want to make the hurt stop, beat up the bad guys, and keep everyone safe, what's wrong with that? I'm NOT like Black! I'm not I'm not I'm NOT!" she cried out.

Goku closed his eyes, feeling frustrated. He understood where Piccolo and Vegeta were coming from, and maybe even agreed with them a little bit. But, the reason, the real reason Pan wanted to be strong, wasn't anything he could fault her for. She wanted to protect everyone, and while he wasn't thrilled she was willing to kill anyone who threatened them without hesitation, all she really wanted was to feel safe, and keep everyone alive. She had chosen her words poorly when answering Piccolo, or maybe she just didn't know how to properly say it.

"I know Pan, I know your not a bad guy, but, you gotta realize you've been scaring us for awhile now," he began.

Pan sniffled for a moment and turned to look at him, bewildered, "How?! How could you guys be scared of me?!"

Goku decided he'd follow through with Vegeta's advice and be blunt. "For one Pan, you saw how crazy and ruthless you acted when you had that green energy."

Pan averted her eyes, unease on her face.

Goku took a deep breath and let it out. "But beyond that, Pan, a lot of the times when you'd spar when you got first got back home, and sometimes when you talked, your ki would feel dark, bad."

Pan looked at him in disbelief.

"You could act so viscous, whether it was sparing, or talking, it made everyone scared, not of what you were, but what you could become," explained Goku, "And when you basically tortured the Cell junior to death, it was really bad and..."

"I did not torture it!" she defended, "I beat it to death and finished it with Judgement so it couldn't regen..."

"Pan," Goku said sternly, "I was watching that entire fight. You crushed it into the ground and 'licked your lips' at the sight of its beaten body. You said you 'forgot how good it feels to beat the crap out of scum like you', said you didn't care about killing it. Pan, that's not something a good guy does or says..."

Pan tried to say something, only to start choking on tears and turn her head away, starting to sob again. Goku didn't want to have to confront her like this about her actions, but, it was more than obvious to him she didn't realize just how bad she had been acting on occasion. He knew very well what Gohan had been alluding to with a 'slippery slope', and he didn't want Pan to slide down it and do something really bad, even if she didn't mean to.

"I'm... I'm sorry Grandpa," said Pan hoarsely, shame radiating in her voice and ki, "I'm sorry for letting you down..."

Goku smiled sadly and reached over to ruffle her hair. "You haven't really let me down yet, you've had a few hiccups, but, your still my little granddaughter."

He sighed and stood up. "I'm sorry this happened Pan, but, it had to happen now. There will come a day when were all gone or are to old to fight, Pan, and it'll be up to you to keep yourself and those you care about safe. You will be strong enough to keep everyone alive, I promise you. Your already so much more powerful than any of us were at your age. When your our age, you'll dwarf us without question. The only thing we want is to make sure your still you when the time comes, and haven't lived a life filled with regrets over bad choices. You been so serious, and haven't been smiling nearly as much as you used to when you were younger, we just want to see you happy. Your still just a kid, Pan, twelve years old, we want to see you enjoy your early life while there's still time to. Okay Pan?"

"Okay Grandpa," said Pan weakly.

"Get some sleep Pan, I know you didn't get any last night," Goku scolded lightly.

She didn't respond.

Goku gave her one last look, turned off the lights, left the room, and closed the door behind him...

* * *

 _Author's Notes:_

 _The next arc starts next chapter after a small timeskip. Hope you guys are ready!_


	38. The Dimensional Tournament

_**Potara - Chapter 38: The Dimensional Tournament**_

* * *

 _One Month Later..._

"I'm gonna get you Bra!" shouted Pan playfully before ramming her bumper car into Bra's.

Bra gave a gleeful shout. "Hey! No fair! Why me?!"

Pan stuck her tongue out at her before she maneuvered her bumper car to avoid Grandpa's. "To slow Grandpa! I'm to fast for you!"

 _WHAM!_

She gave a startled yelp when her Mom's bumper car hit hers. "But not to fast to run from your mother!"

There was a chorus of laughter before the timer buzz sounded and their time on the ride ended. The family got off and friends got off the ride and re-entered the amusement park.

"So, what ride should we go on next?" asked Bra.

"I dunno, pick one," said Pan.

She followed behind the girl as the group moved. She had initially been skeptical of going to the amusement park, but, it was a lot of fun. She couldn't help but smile as they walked. After the... incident... about a month ago after she had woken up from her coma, things had settled down. She had apologized to everyone, eased a bit off her training schedule, and had started spending a lot more time with her family and friends. It was relaxing to just go out and have fun for once.

"Cotton candy stand at twelve o'clock!" shouted Bra with glee and raced towards it.

Pan smirked as they moved to the cotton candy stand and cleared the poor guy out, each of them having huge stacks of the sticky sugary goodness. Oh man, she couldn't remember the last time she had any of this stuff, it...

 _POP_

There was a flash of light and Pan suddenly found herself no longer in the amusement park.

"Hi Pan-Chan!" came two voices.

Pan turned and recognized that she was in the Omni-King's palace, guess it was time for a visit. "Hi All-Chans! It's been awhile."

The two Omni-Kings nodded. "Yeah, we've been stuck in a meeting for awhile now and..."

They paused and stared at the cotton candy in her hands. "What's that?"

Pan smiled and walked up to them offering some of the cotton candy. "It's called cotton candy, is a snack, have some!"

The Omni-Kings took a handful each and popped it into their mouths. They both jumped and stood on their thrones. They exchanged glances.

"It's good!" said the right Omni-King.

"Yes! Very good!" said the left Omni-King.

Pan took a small bite for herself and handed the rest of her candy bags off to one of the Omni-King's attendents. "You can keep the rest."

"Thanks Pan-Chan!" said the Omni-Kings.

"So... what's up?" asked Pan.

"Well, we finally got done our dimensional meeting," said the left Omni-King.

"Yeah, finally all done!" said the right Omni-King.

Pan nodded slowly, her smile fading. They might be acting happy and carefree, but she understood that this was a serious thing. They had been meeting with other Omni-Kings to determine the rules and regulations of dimensional travel. This was important...

"So what was decided?" asked Pan, trying to keep her voice steady.

"Nothing!" they both said together.

Pan gave them a blank look and resisted the urge to fall over in disbelief, were they serious?! "What do you mean nothing?"

"No one could come to an agreement," said the Omni-Kings.

"So, since we couldn't agree on basically anything, we decided to leave it as is now, open travel between dimensions for mortals and lesser gods," said the left Omni-King.

"Ahuh, anyone who knows how to travel can travel between dimensions," said the right Omni-King.

"Well, except for higher gods and angels," said the left Omni-King, "We did agree that full-time God's of Destruction, Angels, and Omni-Kings should receive permission before they step into someone else's dimension."

Pan stared at them for a moment. "Umm... okay..."

She didn't really know what to think. Free open travel between dimensions without basically any rules... that could be good, but it could also be really, really bad...

"Even though we didn't come to a real decision, we're all still a little excited to be able to so freely talk with one another, so we all decided to celebrate!" said the right Omni-King.

"Ahuh, were gonna have a tournament!" said the left Omni-King.

Pan raised an eyebrow. "A tournament?"

The right Omni-King nodded. "Yeah! Like the Universal tournaments, only, between dimensions! We wanted to let you guys know!"

Pan scratched her head. "Oh, okay. I'm surprised you didn't grab Grandpa and tell him instead."

The Omni-Kings frowned. "Were still not that happy with Son Goku, while we will let him compete, we decided to tell you first instead."

"Oh, okay, so when's the tournament happening?" asked Pan.

"In two Earth hours!" the Omni-Kings said together.

Pan's jaw dropped. "Two hours?!"

They nodded. "Ahuh. The Other Omni-Kings who are participating are gonna gather fighters really quick and join us in the portal rooms outside the portal. We wanted to give you guys a heads up, we're gonna get ready and come get you all in an hour. Decide whose fighting and whose watching and be ready. We'll teleport you to Capsule Corporation so you can tell everyone."

"W-wait a second!" Pan stammered.

"Bye Pan-Chan!" said the Omni-Kings.

 _POP_

Pan disappeared in a flash of light and reappeared at Capsule Corporation, feeling a little stunned and confused. She broke out of her confusion when she felt the ki signatures of her family and friends flying around off in the distance. She sighed, figuring they were looking for her after she had just vanished. She crossed her arms, ascended to Super Saiyan 2, and felt everyone suddenly change directions towards her.

ZIP

"Pan!" exclaimed Grandpa, appearing next to her, "Where'd you go? What happened!"

Pan powered down and sighed. "All-Chans wanted to talk to me."

Goku visibly relaxed. "Oh, phew, you really scared us when you vanished like that. So what did the Omni-Kings want?"

Pan frowned. "I'll wait till everyone gathers first."

Goku gave her a wary look. "Is something bad going on?"

She hesitated. "That depends on your definition of bad. You ought to just go and grab everyone with instant transmission, we don't have a lot of time. Get everyone."

Goku nodded and put two fingers to his forehead and teleported away. Pan watched as minute by minute, Goku grabbed all of the Z-Fighters. Some of them looked a bit ruffled after just being grabbed and dropped off, but they figured it was important and waited patiently. Finally, everyone was gathered.

Pan cleared her throat and spoke. "Umm, so the Omni-Kings called me to their palace and told me they were done with their Dimensional Rules meeting. They umm..."

"What was decided?" asked Piccolo, his voice deadly serious.

She scratched her head. "Nothing, they're just gonna leave dimensional travel wide open and unrestricted."

Piccolo looked mortified. "What?! Of all the things they could have done, they left it unrestricted?! Fools! There's nothing to stop people of one dimension from attacking another now!"

Vegeta scoffed. "You act as if people would have obeyed any rules anyway."

"Someone will have to keep an eye on the portal at all times then," warned Bulma, "This portal's in my back yard! I'm not gonna have it unguarded when something could come out and just blow up my house!"

"Aren't you guys being a little dramatic?" asked Krillin, "There's no guarantee whoever comes out of the portal is just gonna attack us. People travel abroad all the time, people could just be curious visitors."

"Perhaps, but there's no guarantee on the other end that they won't be marauding conquerors," warned Piccolo.

"Mmm I kinda like it, I might get to see some hot extra-dimensional chicks!" said Master Roshi with glee.

"18? Would you?" asked Bulma with annoyance.

18 smacked the back of Master Roshi's head, knocking him to the ground.

Pan smirked a little at that and then cleared her throat. "Umm, there's more. They're planning on holding a dimensional tournament..."

Goku's eyes went wide with excitement and glee. "REALLY?! When?!"

"Two hours, they'll be picking us up in one hour," she said nervously.

The group stared at her in surprise before exchanging glances.

"Hmph, I guess we'll get to test out the strength of other dimensions sooner rather than later," said Vegeta.

Piccolo nodded. "As much as I don't care for the tournament itself, it will be a good way to perhaps get an estimate on how strong the average dimension is and then prepare from there on."

Goku rubbed his hands together eagerly. "Oh boy, this is going to be awesome!"

"Honestly Goku, your acting like a child, this is serious," scolded Chi-Chi.

"Nah, it'll be fine," said Goku.

"So, whose allowed to enter? Any rules given for the tournament?" asked Yamcha.

Pan shook her head. "The Omni-Kings didn't say anything on that."

"I'd say we should hold off on making any call like that until we see what were up against, there's bound to be registration or something before it begins," suggested Gohan.

There was a chorus of agreement before everyone began to talk among themselves. Pan stayed quiet and out of the way, pondering the development to herself. In some ways it was exciting, in other ways, it was terrifying. She had been to three different dimensions, and all three had been rough and borderline horrifying at times. On the other hand, in two of them, she had made dear friends. She felt a bit conflicted on whether she should be happy or not about all of this.

She leaned her head back and stared into the sky. There would probably be both good and bad outcomes. She'd just have to be ready for whatever came next...

* * *

 _~One Hour Later_

 _POP_

Pan turned her head to see the Omni-Kings, the Grand Priest, Beerus, Whis, Shin, Kabito, and the Elder Kai appear.

"Greetings everyone," said the Grand Priest, "I trust you have all been informed of the Dimensional Tournament, let us be on our way."

"Aren't any of the other universes coming?" asked Goku.

The Grand Priest shook his head. "No. Since the portal only exists in one universe per dimension, only those universes will be allowed to compete in this tournament."

The group started walking towards the building Bulma built around the portal.

"So, whose allowed to compete? What are the rules? How many dimensions are competing?" asked Yamcha.

The Grand Priest looked back. "No more than ten warriors may enter the tournament per universe. No killing is allowed, you win either through your opponent surrendering, keeping them held down or unconscious for thirty seconds, there will be no ring out in this tournament."

"As for the dimensions, for time and spacing reasons, each tournament will be limited to ten dimensions," continued the Grand Priest.

"Each?!" asked Goku eagerly.

They entered the portal building and stopped in front of the portal before the Grand Priest continued, "Yes, there will be many tournaments going on at once. There were hundreds of thousands of Omni-Kings who wished to have their own tournaments with their own individual rule sets. So, each tournament will be spaced out in different portal rooms, shielded from one another, and each have their own prizes. Our tournaments prize will be one wish from the Omni-Kings."

Goku's eyes looked dreamy, and drool was leaking out of his mouth. "Hundreds of thousands of tournaments all going on at once..."

"Kakarot! Clean yourself up," barked Vegeta.

Goku winced, wiped off his mouth, and bashfully scratched his head. "Oh, sorry."

"We will need to set up and coordinate with the other Omni-Kings. We're allowing one hour after we arrive of free-time to talk and interact with other dimension's in the portal room. After we create the tournament grounds and an hour has passed, you will be directed to your assigned area," explained the Grand Priest.

With that, they walked through the portal and entered the portal room. Pan took a look around, this had been her first time actually going into this place, well, while she was conscious. There were ten levels of ten portals each separated into four sections in a large circle. Each level of portals were elevated and moved over from one another like a rice plateau. The center of the room was a huge blank white space.

Pan noted there were already groups of Omni-Kings and Angels and Gods gathered at the center, with clusters of mortals on the outskirts of the room. There were groups going to and from their specific portal room, as if on tour. She eyed some of the groups, most were alien to her, coming in all different shapes and sizes and colors. There was so much ki in the room radiating from all groups that it was difficult to properly sense anything.

"Please, make yourselves comfortable for the hour," said the Grand Priest before the gods all flew off to join the other deities at the center of the room.

The Z-Fighters all walked off the plateau and stood on the flat ground, eyeing their surroundings at the other groups, hesitating to go and mingle. Pan eyed them, noting that there was one other group of humans to the south. Then to the north was...

Pan's eyes went wide and pointed. "Grandpa, Saiyans!"

There were six of them talking among themselves, Pan could vaguely see other people standing far behind them but couldn't get a look. The Saiyans took note of their group and started approaching them. Pan stretched out her senses, and immediately went on edge. They felt just as bad as the Saiyans she had encountered on Terra. Goku and Vegeta stood at the front of the group as the Saiyan's approached, keeping themselves between the groups as a barrier. The Saiyans stopped and looked over Goku and Vegeta, curiously. Five Saiyans, two female, and three male, were led by one male Saiyan standing at the head of the group. None of them had tails.

The one at the head of the Saiyans was a huge, muscular looking one with spiky hair akin to Vegeta, though, not as high, and standing a little less straight up. He had no shirt on, showing off his pecks, and a huge scar going from his right shoulder, all the way down to his waist. He worse simply black baggy pants covering the lower half of his body. His face was hardened, his eyes cold and calculated. He stood, his arms crossed, his stance very similar to Vegetas.

The lead Saiyan passed his gaze over the Z-Fighters, looking at the humans and Piccolo with disdain, but showing curiosity towards Bra, Gohan, Trunks, Goten, and Pan. He finally rested his gaze on Vegeta.

"I assume judging by the way you hold yourself you lead this group," said the Saiyan, his voice deep and powerful.

"Perhaps," was Vegeta's only reply.

The Saiyan smirked. "Whom do I have the pleasure of addressing?"

"I am Vegeta, prince of all Saiyans," said Vegeta.

The Saiyan gave a small half-bow. "Ah, to meet other royalty, it is a pleasure. To be truthful, I am surprised the Saiyan Race exists in other dimensions."

Vegeta raised an eyebrow. "Oh? Your royalty?"

The Saiyan smirked at Vegeta. "I am Kale, the recently crowned Emperor of the Saiyan race, lord of my universe."

"Recently?" inquired Vegeta.

A dark smile played across Kale's face. "The Saiyan Race used to be split into separate factions, but by my hand were we united under one empire, under MY rule. Anyone who dissented was... dealt with."

Pan's heart-rate began to spike. Factions... just like she had heard on Terra... was this group from that dimension?! Pan fought to steady her emotions, deciding to just watch and listen for now, it could just be a coincidence after all...

Kale motioned to the five Saiyan's behind him. "These are the Hands of the Emperor, the five greatest Saiyans under my rule. My hands, would you introduce yourselves to our fellow Saiyans?"

The one at the far left stepped forward and introduced herself. "I am Coli."

Coli was tall and skinny, though supporting strong toned muscles. She had a rather pale complexion, her hair was crazily spiky, even more than Grandpas. Her eyes shone with cruelty, eyeing their group as if she were picking targets to kill. She had one scar on her neck, as if someone had once tried to slit her throat. She bore a blood-red colored version of Vegeta's armor. The armor was white, with red stripes, and the latex-like material that covered the rest of her skin was red colored. The armor had no shoulder pads. Pan couldn't help but notice, color aside, there was actual blood smeared on her armor, and recently by the looks of it.

Cali stepped back and the next, a male, stepped forward. "I am Bage."

Bage was short, even a little shorter than Vegeta. His face was reserved and wary, his eyes darting around and measuring up everyone he saw, as if he were determining whether or not they were threats. He was pretty much a bundle of muscles. He held no scarring, but, his blue armor was dented and battered. There was a literal fist mark embedded on the armor above his right breastplate.

Bage stepped back and another male stepped forward. "I am Nach."

Nach was the tallest of the five hands. His hair was long, and fell out behind him, spiking in all directions down to his waist. He was lean, his muscles weren't as bulgy, but, he was definitely still physically strong. His face was calm, cool, and collected, betraying not one hint of emotion. He had light scars here and there on his face and arms. His armor was similar, green, but lacked the spandex-like material on his arms, it looked a lot like Bardock's armor if she recalled right.

Nach stepped back and the second female stepped forward. "I am Cress."

Cress was average height. Her hair was the least spiky, the back part being flat, with the front half being somewhat spiky with a big lock going down her forehead. She bore purple, unstained armor. She was the least marred of the group, showing no scarring or signs she had recently been in battle. She looked bored and uninterested in them, her eyes looked a bit glazed, as if she wasn't even paying attention to what was going on. Unlike the others that Pan could feel at least something from, her ki was completely masked, she could barely tell with her senses that the woman was even there.

Cress stepped back and the final member of the Hand stepped forward. "I am Mato."

Mato was a short, plump Saiyan. His hair looked similar to Grandpa's, though his hair seemed heavier and more weighed down. He looked a bit more tanned than the others. His armor and spandex-like material were black. His eyes were open and aware, taking in the area, but showing nothing else. He seemed rather unassuming, but, if he was a member of this group he had to be strong.

When he stepped back, Kale turned his attention to Goku. "We've introduced ourselves, its common cutesy to do the same."

Goku eyed him, a wary look on his face. "I'm Son Goku."

Kale raised an eyebrow. "That's not a Saiyan name."

"His Saiyan name is Kakarot, but the clown chooses to go by his Earth given name," explained Vegeta.

Kale gave him a peculiar look but eventually shrugged it off. "A warrior may call himself what he so wishes. If Goku is what he prefers, then I suppose it can be accommodated. Though, I'd think one would find more pride in their Saiyan heritage."

Kale's eyes flickered passed Goku. "The others that bears your features, are they hybrids?"

Goku nodded slowly and turned to point one by one. "Human Saiyan hybrids. My sons, Gohan and Goten. My Granddaughter, Pan. That's Trunks and Bra, Vegeta's kids."

Coli hissed with distaste. "Hybrids. To sully the pure blood of the Saiyan race with humans? Disgusting and-."

Kale shot her a look and warned with a deadly tone. "Be silent."

Immediately the entire Hand of the Emperor group stepped back in fear and bowed their heads. The hair on the back of Pan's head stood up. If these five were among the strongest in their universe, and they acted like scared little kids to this 'Kale' guy, he had to be on a whole other level compared to them then. She gave him another once over and wondered just how strong he was.

Kale turned his head and looked over the hybrids once more. "Who are we to judge the customs of our race from another universe? If you wish to cross breed with humans, then that's your choice. Forgive Coli, diplomacy is not her strong suite."

Vegeta nodded slowly. "Of course."

He crossed his arms. "You speak of diplomacy..."

Kale nodded. "To find out just how large the scope of our existence is was rather... enlightening. We exist in but one universe and one dimension, when there are countless more. Finding ourselves on such uncertain ground, I would be more than welcoming to others of our race from other dimensions. Consider it a tentative offer of diplomacy, and perhaps an alliance in the future, providing of course your group is powerful enough to warrant it."

Of all the things Pan expected him to say, that was not one of them. She gave Kale a third look over. He was intelligent, obviously powerful, and very calculated. He had apparently just discovered other dimensions existed and he was already moving to secure alliances for power and safety. He was thinking big, and Pan was wondering if it would be bad idea or not to cross him.

"I make no promises," warned Vegeta, "While we are powerful, we are few. Those you see before you are all that remain of our race aside from my brother, Tarble."

Kale frowned intently. "I see. I am disappointed to see our race laid low in your universe. I am however proud to see warriors still standing strong. I suppose I can understand then why you breed with humans to continue our race."

Kale glanced behind him off into the distance. "Though, I cannot say we have such close relations with the humans in our dimensions. Lets just say we've been at odds for a few decades, not many have survived our battles."

Pan took a few steps to the right and looked passed the Saiyans, following his gaze to see...

Pan froze, her eyes going wide, her face paling, her body suddenly feeling jittery. Standing off in the distance was a group of five humans. At the front, keeping a wary eye on their group, was Odianna...

She was how Pan remembered her. A teenager, kept young and pristine thanks to a wish of lesser immortality. She bore a torn up black and white Fox Hermit Gi. Her face was cold, with anger permanently plastered across it. Her eyes wrathful eyes were...

Pan gave a start, Pan remembered her eyes to be brown and hair to be black. But instead, they were both blue, blue like she was in the Hyper Kaio-Ken, but without the aura. She had apparently mastered the ability, and was carrying it as if it were her base state. Pan struggled to push her senses through all the ki in the room and focused them on Odianna. Pan's eyebrows went up with astonishment, her resting power was huge. She didn't even look powered up at all and she was easily strong enough to take on a strong Super Saiyan 2.

Standing next to Odianna, to Pan's great delight and happiness, was Aideen. The woman was still alive after all this time! She had ages a bit from what Pan remembered, the woman would be about twenty-four years old now. She was a tough looking young woman. Strong set, muscular, old healed scars along her face. She bore the white and black Fox Hermit Gi like Odianna. Also like Odianna, her hair and eye color was different than the brown Pan remembered. Both her hair and eyes were red. Aideen had mastered the regular Kaio-Ken and was resting in it as if it were her base state.

Behind them was another woman, and two children... wait a second... she knew those two kids! Those were the two kids Pan had saved when she first arrived on Terra, they were still alive?! Pan felt relieved and happy to see that. She was curious though where Aneurin was. Without another word, and ignoring those of her group that called her back, Pan took off into the air and flew over to the humans. She landed in front of them.

"Aideen, Odianna," whispered Pan faintly, wondering if she was in a dream.

Odianna gave her a look of disdain. "What do you want Saiyan?"

Pan flinched, suddenly remembering how their last encounter had ended. Odianna hated her for being Saiyan, and had tried to kill her. Pan looked at her, working up the courage to speak.

"Odianna... I'm sorry, I'm sorry I never told you the truth," said Pan, her voice growing bitter.

Odianna glared at her. "Save it, I have nothing to say to you."

Before Pan could say anything else, there was a flash of light, a loud POP sound, and a tremer than ran through the ground. She turned her head, her eyes going wide, seeing a stadium, a huge arena, materializing at the center of the portal room. The gods had apparently decided on how to structure the tournament.

Odianna turned and started off. "I'll be at the tournament grounds Aideen."

Pan ran forward and grabbed her arm. "Odianna wait! I just want to talk to..."

Odianna turned and backhanded her across her face, drawing blood and knocking her to the ground. "Do NOT touch me you little deceiving Saiyan wench! I want nothing to do with you!"

Pan laid on the ground, feeling miserable and dejected, as Odianna turned and walked away, the other three humans following, leaving just Pan and Aideen there. Aideen sighed, turned, and offered her a hand. Pan felt relieved, at least she still had one friend among the humans of Terra.

She took the hand and was helped up. "Thank you."

She gave a yelp when Aideen pulled her into a fierce hug. "It's good to see you again Pan. I'm sorry about Odianna."

They separated and Pan shook her head. "Its... fine, I can't blame her. I should have been truthful from the start."

Aideen gave her a look. "Even though you act nothing like a Saiyan, we both know she would have killed you if you had revealed your heritage. I can't blame you for it."

Pan felt a surge of happiness at her word. "Its... good to hear that from you. I was honestly afraid you'd hate me."

Aideen smiled sadly. "I could never hate you Pan."

Pan felt bashful and bowed her head for a moment before looking up and around. "Aideen, where's Aneurin."

A stricken look crossed the woman's face before she looked away. "He's gone."

A lump formed in Pan's throat and she started to hiccup uncontrollably. "G-g-one?!"

Aideen nodded slowly and then pointed. Pan followed her finger, seeing her pointing to the group of Saiyans that had introduced themselves. The group was on the move and heading into the stadium.

"We were fighting them. Minutes before the gods intervened and halted the battle to announce their tournament, Aneurin was killed," sad Aideen sadly.

Pan clenched her fists, her anger, her fury, her hatred skyrocketing. Lightning began her roll down her body, her hair flying up and turning yellow. Her aura exploded around her, sending Aideen staggered back.

"WHICH ONE?!" demanded Pan, "Which one killed him?!"

Aideen stared at her in shock. "Pan... you... you ascended at that age?!"

"Aideen, WHICH ONE KILLED HIM!" she yelled.

"The one who calls herself Coli. She... she tortured him, ripped out his heart, and smeared his blood on her armor," said Aideen grimly.

Pan trembled in rage. Coli, that bitch, THAT BITCH! Aneurin was a kind, innocent man that had looked out for Pan on Terra, he didn't deserve to die like that! Coli would pay, oh how she would pay! Pan clenched her fists and hoped with all her might that she and Coli would get paired against one another in the tournament. She'd make that scum bleed and beg before the fight was over!

Pan forced herself to breath in and out a few times before she calmed down and relaxed her power. "I'll get her for murdering him! I swear it, I swear I will!"

She turned to Aideen. "How many people are left on Terra?"

Aideen shook her head. "There were only about twenty of us left after the invasion you fought against. The five of us here are all that's left."

Pan bowed her head, feeling sickened and horrified. Five people... that was it, just five humans left. Everyone else had been murdered by the Saiyans. Pan sighed heavily, feeling awful.

Aideen put a hand on Pan's shoulder in squeezed. "It's our lot in life Pan, not much we can do about it."

She dropped her hand and sighed. "Alright, I'm glad to see your alright, but I gotta go and..."

Pan grabbed her hand. "Wait, I want you to come meet my family and friends."

Aideen hesitated. "Well..."

"Please Aideen?" begged Pan.

Aideen sighed and gave in. "Okay, okay."

Pan gave her a happy smile and started tugging on her arm. "C'mon!"

They walked over to the Z-Fighters, most of who had been keeping an eye in her direction. "This is Aideen, she's a friend of mine from Terra!"

The group looked her over and gave headbobs or short greetings.

Goku held up a hand in greeting. "Yo! Good to see you guys are still okay."

Aideen sighed. "Most of us anyway."

"I didn't see the old guy, is he...?" began Goku.

Aideen nodded and gave him a cold look. "Gone, killed by the Saiyans you were just chatting with."

Goku winced, but Pan stepped up to his defense. "We didn't know, we didn't know they were from your dimension until they pointed you and Odianna out."

Pan turned to Goku. "Grandpa, if you win, can you wish every human that was killed by Saiyans on Terra back to life? Please?"

Aideen gave a start and looked at her in astonishment. "Pan? You'd ask him to..."

Goku shrugged. "Sure, no problem."

Aideen's jaw dropped, she looked at him, speechless. "..."

Goku turned to Gohan and Vegeta. "We don't need the wish, we'd be more than willing to use it for that, right guys?"

Gohan nodded. "Sure, I would love to help."

"Hmph, I doesn't matter to me," said Vegeta.

Aideen looked back and forth between them all, disbelief on her face. "I... don't know what to say..."

Krillin smirked at that. "Yeah, sometimes we amaze ourselves with how nice we can-OW."

18 smacked the back of his head. "Quiet you, no one likes a showboat."

There was a brief moment of laughter before Piccolo stepped forward. "Aideen is it?"

Aideen nodded and looked him over. "You look like what Odianna described our deceased Guardian to be... are you the Dende Son Goku mentioned?"

Piccolo shook his head. "No, I am Piccolo."

Aideen looked to Pan and smiled. "So, he's the guy who taught you how to meditate? The one who you said meditates instead of sleeping?"

Pan smiled sheepishly and scratched back of her head. "Yeah, this is mister Piccolo."

Piccolo raised an eyebrow at Pan before he slowly shook his head and refocused on Aideen. "I see no problem with granting you a wish should we win, but, these Saiyans we were just talking to concern me. I overheard you and Pan talking, you fought them, how strong are they?"

Aideen narrowed her eyes and turned to Goku. "We only fought three of them. Coli, Bage, and Cress. The others merely watched and jeered us as we fought. The three of them were powerful ascended Super Saiyans. The only Saiyan we've encountered who was stronger than them would be you Goku, but their power isn't far behind what I remember yours to be."

Goku nodded, a serious look on his face. "That strong huh? I mean no offense, but your lucky to be alive."

Aiden sighed and motioned to a small brown bag attached to her hip. "I started that fight with a full bag of Senzu beans, I have only two left. I shouldn't BE alive right now to be honest."

She turned to look at the stadium. "I fought Cress, Aneurin fought Coli, Odianna fought Bage, and by fought, I mean that except for Odianna we were crushed. I didn't see much of the other's fight, but Cress moves at speeds so far above anything I've ever seen. She uses some strange kind of Afterimage technique, its like she was everywhere at once but you still can't hit her. I even burst up to a times fifty Kaio-Ken but I still couldn't touch her."

"Times fifty huh? Not bad," complimented Goku.

Aideen didn't acknowledge the praise. "Their leader though, when they first landed, Odianna tried to outright kill them all, but he easily deflected a blast from her, while in his base state. From that act alone, I know he's on a whole other level far above those five."

Goku nodded slowly. "I figured as much."

Aideen stared at him silently for a moment, thinking, before she spoke softly, "Thank you, for offering the wish, but, it would be pointless. Even if everyone was revived, the Saiyans would just start purging us all over again. I wouldn't want to put humanity through that hell a second time."

"We could stop them!" offered Pan, "Either by force or somehow get them to back down, we..."

Aideen shook her head. "Pan, you and your family have to worry about protecting your own dimension. As much as I appreciate the offer, don't doom yourselves by fighting for us and making an enemy out of the Saiyan Empire."

Pan stared at her, feeling helpless.

Aideen turned to go, but paused briefly to offer one final warning to the group. "If you face Odianna in the tournament, be careful. She will not hold back, and she will harm you, greatly. If your strong enough, knock her out and end it immediately. The longer the fight goes on, the worse it will get for you."

With that, Aideen left.

Vegeta turned to Bra. "Your not participating in the tournament, this is to far above you."

Bra raised an eyebrow and put a hand on her hip. "I wasn't planning to."

Vegeta scowled at her for a moment before turning to Trunks. "If you choose not to participate, I suppose I can try not to be disappointed."

Trunks rolled his eyes. "I'll enter."

Goten stepped up. "Me too!"

Gohan nodded. "I will as well."

"I'm obviously in, as is the clown," said Vegeta, shooting Goku a look.

Pan spoke up. "I'm fighting too!"

Gohan hesitated. "Pan..."

"I'm fighting, and that's final," she said, putting her foot down and glaring at her father.

"Fine, just please be careful," warned Gohan.

"So that's six of us, anyone else wanna enter?" asked Goku, "How about you Buu?"

Buu shook turned his head back and forth. "Hmm. Buu not sure, Buu already fight in last ones."

"Aww come on! It'll be really fun!" said Goku.

Buu thought for a moment. "Okay, Buu fight!"

"So that's seven, we can have three more, any takers? How about you Piccolo, or how about you 17 and 18?" asked Goku.

Piccolo shook his head. "I'll be spending my time observing the other participants and observers from the other dimensions. I'm not going to fight."

17 shrugged. "As much as I'd like to, any of those Super Saiyan 2s would deck me in one hit, so no thanks."

18 pointed a thumb at her twin. "Same deal, I'm with him on that regard."

"What about you Uub? Your being kind of quiet," asked Goku.

Uub looked a little ashamed. "Well... I mean if you really want me to fight I can, but, I'm not match for a Super Saiyan 2 either."

"You don't need a full ten fighters for this tournament, just no more than ten," said Piccolo, "The bar those Saiyans set is to high for our normal fighters to participate in. These Saiyans will fight ruthlessly, and will torture you for their own amusement. There may be a no death rule, but those who don't want to fight, shouldn't, unless they want to go through hell."

No one else stepped forward to participate.

Goku nodded. "Alright then, lets go and head to the arena!"

Pan walked next to her Grandpa. She felt anticipation burning through her body. She couldn't wait to get in the arena and fight. The little budokis they did back home were light entertainment and not really serious. THIS was the real deal. This would be her first real tournament she participated in with serious competition, with stakes riding on the fights and a heavy prize at the end. She didn't care what Aideen said, they'd find a way to make things right!

"I swear I will make things right," whispered Pan under her breath as they walked into the arena...

* * *

 _Author's Notes:_

 _OC's galore! OC's everywhere, ahhh run away! This tournament will be a one-time OC heavy clusterfuck. The Saiyans however may stay as eventual recurring characters. As may others, I reserve the right to pick and choose :P._

 _Saiyan Names :_

 _Kale is the vegetable Kale._

 _Coli is short for Broccoli._

 _Bage is short for Cabbage._

 _Nach is short for Spinach._

 _Cress is the vegetable Cress._

 _Mato is short for Tomato._


	39. Round 1

**_Potara - Chapter 39: Round 1_**

* * *

Pan walked into the arena and looked around, eyebrows raised. In the middle was a giant squared raised platform that kind of looked like the Cell Games arena she had seen in old photos. Outside the ring were ten areas separated by dividers about half of Pan's height. She figured these were where the fighters were suposed to wait. Behind the fighter area were the huge stands and bleachers where everyone else could sit. There were three or more seats at the front, each section of fighters and spectators, where a God of Destruction, their angel attendant, and the Supreme Kai(s) would sit. To the due north, situated high above the stands, were the thrones of the Omni-Kings, with their Grand Priests levitating below them on floating pedestals.

The Grand Priest's voiced echoed through the area, "Would all fighters please move to their areas, you will know your area by finding your Supreme Kai. All spectators are to sit on the stands behind your dimension's fighters."

Pan took a quick look around, and spotted Shin. She pointed him out to Grandpa and the group took off, landing next to him. Their seven fighters stayed in the fighter area while everyone else moved up to the stands. Pan heard a ding and looked backwards. There was a small hallway leading out of their fighting area that would lead out of the arena. Above the entrance of that hallway was a giant number 1 engraved on the wall. So they were Dimension 1 then? She began to look around, each dimensions was labeled in order.

Dimensions 2, which was right next to them, was the dimensions containing the humans of Terra, and the Saiyans. The six Saiyans stood to one side of the area, while Odianna and Aideen stood to the other. Eight fighters total, neither group looked happy to be sharing their space with one another.

Dimension 3 had animal like humanoids, five in total. One of which, to Pan's surprise, seemed to be a female cat of Beerus's race. The others were a lizard man, a dog man, a lion man, and finally, some strange looking bird man with a large beak and brightly colored wings instead of arms. That was a strange looking group in Pan's opinion.

Dimension 4 had two competitors, but nearly an entire stand full of spectators. The first was some kind of quadruped creature that had two tusks coming out of its maw of razor sharp teeth. It had fur that looked like a porcupine, razor sharp. Its long tail was barbed, and the ends looked purple, Pan couldn't help but wonder if it was poisonous. Its had four claws that it walked around in, each razor sharp. The other competitor was a tall and muscular looking humanoid. It's skin was a deep red, it had no nose, and its ears kind of looked like the holes that Freeza's race had. The rest of it was covered in medieval looking armor, and it even had a sword on its back.

Dimension 5 was the group of humans Pan had seen earlier. There were a full ten of them, ranging from various ages. The oldest being an elderly graying man, the youngest, to Pan's surprise, looked no more than an eight year old girl. From what Pan could sense, they didn't seem very strong. She was already feeling sorry for that group, this tournament wasn't going to end well for them if Pan's hunch was right. They had no clue about the fighters they would be up against.

Dimension 6 had a single competitor that perplexed Pan greatly. It looked like some kind of featureless goo-man. It was made of up what looked to be translucent green jello. She couldn't detect much from it, though, that might just mean it was suppressing its ki. She didn't have a clue what to expect from it.

Dimension 7 was another full group of ten fighters...

Pan's eyes went wide and she pointed to the dimension 7 group. "Grandpa, look!"

Dimension 7 was FULL of Freeza's race! There were ten of them of differing coloring and forms. Behind them, was a completely full stand of spectators also of that race.

Vegeta coughed in disbelief. "W-what?! So many of them... I wasn't aware that race could have such numbers, they were basically none-existent in our universe except for the three of Freeza's clan."

An eager, anticipation filled look crossed Goku's face. "Well, this could be interesting. I wonder how strong they are. They seem to have ki control down, their power is suppressed. Oh man I hope they're golden Freeza level!"

"I dunno dad," said Gohan, "If I had to guess, they'd probably be regular Freeza level, if not weaker, since they have such high numbers. Freeza and his family were apparently mutants of their race, don't forget that."

Goku looked a little disappointed, but perked up. "Maybe, but unlike Freeza, they look like they train. How they hold themselves speaks of being fighters, rather than tyrants. So there's still some hope from that universe to provide a challenge."

Pan resumed her observations of the dimensions. Dimension 8 had three competitors. Pan narrowed her eyes as she looked them over. They were demons, similar to Towa and Dabura. She couldn't help but smirk, their universe would be good practice for the beating she wanted to lay down on Towa herself. She looked towards their spectators and noted to her confusion they were human. Strange that there were only demons competing, but no humans from their dimension.

Dimensions 9 also had three competitors. They kind of looked like humanoid dragons! They were each about twice the size of an average man. They had muscular arms and legs that ended in claws and feet. They were covered in scales, or had some flat skin.

The first one at the front was a green with a tan belly that had long flowing whiskers and wood like horns coming out of the back of his head. Along his checks came out tendrils of hair. His eyes were completely red without irises. He kind of reminded Pan of Shenron, just, a lot smaller and more human looking.

The second one was green on its back, but tan on its front. It had a dorsal fin on its back, and had spikes coming out of its elbows and behind its head. Its eyes were also completely red without irises. It reminded her a bit of Parunga.

The third one was different than the other two. It's coloring was dark blue, with a light blue belly. It had blue wings, though the fleshy underside of them was pinkish. It had a lot of horns coming out of the back of its head, long tendril whiskers coming out of its nose, and like the first two it had completely red irises. The strangest thing to Pan about it was the fact that the dragon was smoking a cigarette. She had never seen a dragon that looked like that before, and she wasn't sure she ever wanted to.

In the Dimension 9 spectator area were tons of other dragon-like creatures with differing shades and features. So took them in at a glance before deciding to not get to absorbed with one dimension, no matter how cool she thought the dragon's looked.

And finally, Dimensions 10, right next to them was a single competitor that was...

Pan made a face and spoke with distaste. "A Majin."

Her last encounter with another dimension's Majin, the one called Cuu, hadn't exactly ended well. She wasn't looking forward to fighting another one, especially since she figured their kind was by default incredibly powerful. This Majin's coloring was red, it was tall, muscular, and had a very long head tentacle that stretched almost down to its feet. It wore the standard Majin pants and belt, but had no shirt on.

The Majin glared her way, having overheard her. "It's rude to speak about someone in that tone, little girl. Watch yourself."

Pan mumbled a half-ass'd apology and gave the Majin a second look-over. It spoke with intelligence, rather than the stumbled speach Mr. Buu and Majin Cuu had. She remembered the stories of how the evil Super Buu had absorbed people to gain strength and intelligence. She wondered if this one had done the same.

Pan did a bit of math in her head. There were fifty competitors total, so... that was umm... twenty-five fights in round one! Damn, that might be fun to watch! Well, maybe not, there would probably be some sloppy and one sided fights until all the weaker fighters got weeded out. So then, round two would be twenty five fighters, so, twelve fights and one remaining fighter would get a bye

Round three would be thirteen fighters, so, six fights and one bye. Round four would be seven fighters, so three fights and one bye. Round five would be four fighters, so, two fights, and no more byes. Then round six would be the final round.

Pan crossed her arms and recognized suddenly that she'd been a fool to think she could actually win, she'd have at bare minimum beat Grandpa to win, and that wasn't happening. "I ought to at least be able to get to round three or four before I get matched up against Grandpa, Vegeta, the Majin, or Odianna and lose."

Vegeta eyed her and scoffed. "Giving up before the tournaments even begun?"

Pan gave him a dry look. "At bare minimum I auto lose against you or Grandpa when you go god."

Goku tilted his head back. "Hmm, Pan's right on us using blue, god ki would make this boring until the final few fights. Hey Vegeta? Gohan? Wana make this tournament more interesting?

Vegeta raised an eyebrow. "What do you have in mind?"

"We don't use god ki unless we face off against someone else with god ki, if we do, we lose, sound fair?" proposed Goku.

Vegeta scowled at him. "I wasn't planning on using more than I needed to anyway. If these so called fighters were up against can force me to go god without being one themselves then I don't deserve to win."

Gohan crossed his arms. "I'm not going to let a villain get a wish from the Omni-Kings just because they were stronger than me without god ki. You two can have your handicap if you want, but I'll fight to make sure someone bad doesn't get that wish."

Goku shrugged. "Well, that's your call I guess."

"Attention everyone!" called out the voice of the Grand Priest.

The arena grew silent and everyone looked up as the Grand Priest spoke. "We would like to welcome you all to the first Dimensional Tournament, sponsored to celebrate the meeting of the Omni-Kings. To reiterate the rules: This tournament is single-elimination. You may use any techniques, abilities, armor, or weapons you carry on your person. Killing is not allowed. You win a fight by either forcing your opponent to surrender, knocking them out for thirty seconds, or pinning them to the ground for thirty seconds. The ring itself will be shielded by the Angels to protect the spectators, as such fighters will not be able to leave the ring until the battle is concluded, and outside interference will be prevented. The victor of the tournament is granted one wish empowered by the will of the gathered eleven Omni-Kings."

The Grand Priest looked down upon the fighters. "Each warrior was gathered from the home universe, and the home world that each dimensional portal rested on. Each one of you has great power for a mortal, or the potential to one day be great. Use this tournament as an opportunity to test your power and push yourselves against other warriors. The fights will be selected at random, however, they will be biased as to try and not match you against your own dimension until the later rounds where there may be no choice. Fight well and remember that the gods are watching your performance."

Pan felt a bit of relief at that, she might even make it to round five then!

"Without further wait, let us begin the Dimensional Tournament!" shouted the Grand Priest.

There was a roar of cheers from the gathered spectators before the Grand Priest held up a hand for silence. A second Grand Priest approached him, holding a bowl of what looked like fortunes from fortune cookies.

The Grand Priest fished one out and read, "First! From Dimension 3 we have Vadaka, please step forward and enter the ring!"

The female Cat, sporting purple fur-less skin, long ears, and a set of elegant black and purple silk clothes, stepped forward and walked onto the ring. The crowd began to cheer again at the sight of the first competitor.

Pan turned her head to hear Yamcha speak to Beerus. "Hey my main man, I think she's your type. You ought to ask her out."

Beerus turned and raised an eyebrow, holding out a hand at him that briefly glowed with destructive power. "You should mind your words mortal. The affairs and interests of a god are not to be joked about."

Yamcha winced and backed off. "Sorry..."

Beerus snuffed out his power and faced forward. "Besides, I'm already married, or at least I was when I was a mortal, and our race marries for life, and beyond into death."

The Grand Priest allowed a few more moments of cheering before he spoke. "And her opponent: Char! From Dimension 7!"

Pan raised an eyebrow as she watched the member of Freeza's race enter the ring. "That's not a cold related name..."

Vegeta nodded, a curious look on his face. "Strange, I was under the impression that naming convention was how all of his race called themselves. Perhaps its different in that universe."

Char was a huge one, in what Pan figured was his second form based on what she had been told of the forms. He was a towering wall of muscle. His coloring was red and black, with black horns sprouting from his head. He gave off a menacing appearance, though, his ki from what Pan could tell didn't seem that bad when she looked back through her memories on what Freeza's ki felt like.

"Let the match begin!" shouted the Grand Priest.

Char assumed an aggresive stance, ready to charge, before a look of disbelief crossed his face. Pan followed his gaze to see that, rather than get ready to fight, Vadaka was busy licking her paw and using it to wipe her face, showing no interest in her opponent.

The veins of Char's head bulged. "Hey! Pay attention to the..."

 _WHAM!_

Vadaka disappeared and reappeared, throwing a punch right into Char's chest and sending him flying back. "Don't interrupt me when I'm busy cleaning."

Char hit the barrier and slide down, a stunned look on his face, the giant slowly rose to his feet and muttered, "Un... unbelievable... I'll have to transform."

"Go ahead, I'm not done cleaning anyway," said Vadaka without interest.

Char gave a roar as his body began to morph, his head elongating and his shoulder plates shooting out to his side, changing into his third form. "There! Now you will..."

Vadaka dropped her paw. "All done."

 _ZIP_

Vadaka disappeared and reappeared, levitating in-front of a now surprised Char. She raised a hand, coated it in blue energy, and bonked Char on his head, hard. The creature dropped like a rock, drool leaking out of his mouth.

Thirty seconds later the Grand Priest announced. "Char has been unconscious for thirty seconds, Vadaka is the winner!"

There was a roar of applause while Vadaka left the ring and Char was removed and healed. Pan took note of how stunned his Dimension seemed, she couldn't help but smirk, they had no idea what they were getting into.

"For the next fight, would Kale from dimension 2 please step forward!" shouted the Grand Priest.

Pan turned her head, locking onto the Saiyan Emperor. The Saiyan smirked and strode into the arena, his head held up high.

"From Dimension 5, would Frank please enter the ring!" shouted the Grand Priest.

Pan winced, sighting a young brown hair brown eye'd human man climb into the ring. Oh boy...

"Let the fight begin!" shouted the Grand Priest.

Frank gave a shout and powered up. Pan slowly shook her head as she watched. She had been hoping to get a hint of how strong Kale was, but, this wasn't going to be a good, or a long fight.

Kale looked angered. "THIS is my opponent?! Some weak human whelp?"

Kale thrust a hand forward, not even unleashing any ki, but merely using the force of the motion to release a burst of wind that hit Frank and sent him flying into the arena barrier where he hit and then crumpled to the ground. Thirty seconds later, the match ended with an irritated looking Kale as the winner.

Vegeta appeared to share Kale's irritation. "There's to many weaklings here. We will be lucky to even get one half-decent fight this round. Bah..."

"For the next fight would Goten from Universe 1 enter the ring!" shouted the Grand Priest.

Goten thrust a fist into the air before rushing into the arena. "Alright! My turn!"

"Go get em' Goten!" shouted Chi-Chi from the stands.

"And would Mane from Dimension 3 enter the ring!" shouted the Grand Priest.

Pan watched as the lion like humanoid from Dimension 3 entered the ring. It was a bit strange to see a creature that so resembled an animal dressed in clothes and walking upright. She wondered how strong it was...

"Begin!" shouted the Grand Priest.

Mane gave a loud roar and powered up, a blue glow surrounding it, before it rushed at Goten. The teenager gave a smirk and easily bated away the creature's swipes of its claws. He jumped up, over its head, grabbing Mane's mane as he passed, before picking up and throwing the creature across the ring. Mane landed on all fours, looking a bit annoyed, before it bounded at Goten again.

Pan crossed her arms and watched her uncle 'fight' with Mane. It wasn't really a fight, the creature really wasn't that strong compared to Goten, he was just playing with it.

"Stop screwing around and end the damn fight!" roared Vegeta.

Unfortunately, it appeared that the barrier also prevented sound from entering the ring, because Goten kept on dancing around and angering Mane for a few more minutes before Goten knocked the creature out with a punch to it's gut. Thirty seconds later, Goten was declared the winner and the match ended.

"Now! Would Heata from Dimension 7 and George from Dimension 5 please enter the ring!" called out the Grand Priest.

Pan's eyes glazed over as the fight began, and ended, in one hit. She took another glance at Dimension 5 and wondered what exactly they were doing here. The Grand Priest had said everyone present had great power or great potential, but... from what she could tell most of them were under Tien and Krillen in power. Few were even above Yamcha. Then again, if the portal world of that Dimension was Earth like, there wouldn't be many grand fighters there. Compared to the average person, these ten weren't bad at all, just, not strong enough whatsoever to fight against Freeza's race or Saiyans sadly. Ah well...

"Would Ugloo from Dimension 6 and Zapoor from Dimension 7 please enter the ring!" shouted the Grand Priest.

Pan watched the green jello man and another of Freeza's race, this one in its first form, enter the ring.

"Begin!" shouted the Grand Priest.

Pan was surprised when Ugloo's body began to morph and became an exact replica of it's opponent, its ki rising to match as well. Zapoor was equally stunned, and Ugloo used that to it's advantage, charging forward and landing a heavy blow into Zapoor's face. Zapoor recovered and spun, swinging his tail up and at his opponent. Ugloo caught the tail with both his hands and twisted it, leading to an audible ' _SNAP_ '.

Zapoor howled in agony and staggered back, pulling back his broken tailed and massaging it painfully. Ugloo rushed forward and began to rain blows down on his opponent. Zapoor gave a roar and swung his hand, unleashing a burst of ki that knocked Ugloo back. Zapoor rushed forward and swung a heavy blow.

 _Slick_

Zapoor's hand passed into Ugloo's body, much to Zapoor's surprise. Ugloo grabbed Zapoor's arm with one hand, and his neck with another.

Pan narrowed her eyes as she felt Zapoor's energy begin to rapidly drop without any blows being landed. "That thing is draining his power!"

Goku nodded. "Yeah. It looks like it turns into a copy of its opponent, and can steal ki. Gotta be careful if any of us fight it."

Zapoor slumped down in Ugloo's clutches, losing consciousness. Thirty seconds later Ugloo was declared the winner.

"Would Bage from Dimension 2 and Sear from Dimension 7 please enter the ring!" shouted the Grand Priest.

Bage stepped into the ring and cracked his knuckles. "C'mon lizard man, show me what you've got!"

Sear looked livid at the insult. "Lizard man?! I am an Arcosian!"

Pan sounded the word out in her mind. So that's what Freeza's race was called. She looked over Sear briefly, he looked to be in his second form, and was colored orange and white.

"Begin!" shouted the Grand Priest.

Rather than start fighting, the two of them continued bickering.

The Saiyan shook his head. "I don't care what you are. If you can't put up a fight, you might as well be a bug under my boot. So for your sake..."

Bage grinned savagely. "...I hope you can transform like that other one of your kind did. Otherwise you wont last more than a second."

Sear frowned briefly at him before slowly nodding. "Had we been the first fight I would have thought you a fool. Seeing others of my race so easily bested before me leaves little doubt of your claim. Very well, I will show you the might of an Arcosian and battle in my original form!"

Sear gave a roar as red cracked began to spread along his body and energy leaked out of him. With a burst of ki his outer body exploded, and when the dust settled, a slim, smaller body stood. It was similar, yet still distinctly different than Freeza in his final form. Rather than a white body with purple orbs and wrist guards, Sear's body was a mixture of red and orange, with fiery tattoos littering his body. His orbs were black.

Bage raised an eyebrow and looked him over before nodded and giving a mocking, slow clap. "Impressive. That's quite a transformation and power increase. In fact, I suppose I'll have to transform myself!"

Bage gave a roar of power and went Super Saiyan. Sear threw up his arms in defense as the power of the transformation sent him staggering back.

Sear looked stunned. "That power... what kind of transformation is this?!"

Bage grinned. "This is the might of a Super Saiyan!"

"Super Saiyan," whispered Sear, a mixture of awe and fear in his voice.

Pan's eyes began to shift, noting how a large chunk of the fighters in the arena had suddenly taken rapt attention to the battle. Save for one, all of Dimension 7 looked dumbstruck. If they were anything like Freeza, they had probably thought themselves the absolute strongest race, the strongest in all of existence. This had to be an eye opener for them, so see their true form so easily dwarfed in power.

What's more, very few fighters didn't look impressed by the transformation, which let Pan gauge the average power of the tournament. The only ones that didn't seem shocked or weren't cowering at the sight of a Super Saiyan was the Majin, the rest of Dimension 2, her own universe, Vadaka from Dimension 3, the two fighters from Dimension 4, Ugloo, the demons from Dimension 8, and the three dragons from Dimension 9.

Bage cracked his neck to the left, and then to the right. "So then Arcosian, are you ready?"

Sear recovered from his shock and ground his teeth. "It seems I'll have to go full power from the start then."

Bage smirked. "Please do."

Sear's muscles bulged and his power skyrocketed. The Arcosian charged and drove a fist into Bage's gut, doubling him over before smacking him to the ground with his tailed. Sear rushed forward and kicked him into the air before pursuing him, barreling into him and knocking him into the arena barrier. He drove a knee into Bage's gut and pinned him to the barrier, slamming a fist into him over and over until...

Bage's right hand shot out and caught the fist, holding it steady, before he raised his head, a bit of blood leaking out of his mouth. "Not bad lizard, but not nearly good enough, I wont even have to ascend to the next level."

Bage threw Sear off him, appearing hardly damaged from Sear's assault. Bage rushed the Arcosian and flew past him, stretching out a hand to grab Sear by his neck and drag him along before slamming him into the barrier on the other end of the arena. Bage connected his fists and slammed them into the top of Sear's skull and sent him plummeting to the arena floor. Bage smirked at the fallen Arcosian and flew downward, slamming a knee into his back. There was an audible 'CRACK' of a spine breaking before Sear screamed in pain and his 100% power form gave out.

Bage stepped off him and shook his head. "Hardly a warmup."

Thirty seconds later, Bage was declared the winner.

"Would Phage from Dimension 5 and Pabura from Dimension 8 please enter the ring!" shouted the Grand Priest.

Phage was a middle aged human woman with red hair and black eyes. She was dressed a bit scantly for Pan's tastes. She wore a alluring green dress, a black cloak attached to her shoulders. Attached to black leather pants were two crimson pieces of cloth than hung down to cover her legs. Her arms were barren save for a long, brown armguard.

Pabura was a female demon akin to Towa, sharing her pale blue skin. Her hair was a long teal, her eyes a dark red. Her face was soft, curved, and childlike, her ears point,. If Pan didn't know she was a demon she might have actually appeared rather innocent. She wore a black and yellow full body gown that hardly looked suited for fighting in. While Pan didn't care for demons, she at least somewhat approved of this one not dressing like a skank as Towa had been.

"Begin!" shouted the Grand Priest.

Red energy sprang up around Pabura, giving her almost innocent appearance a very menacing look. Her opponent didn't look impressed. Phage smirked at the demon, a black aura of ki engulfing her body. The hair on the back of Pan's neck stood straight up. Phage's ki didn't feel strong, but boy did it feel ' _wrong_ '.

"I have a bad feeling about that Phage lady," murmured Pan.

Pabura gave a seductive, mocking motion with her hands, beckoning Phage forward. "Come my little treat, entertain me."

Phage aimed a hand at her and unleashed a blast of black ki. Pabura rolled her eyes and batted it away with her right hand.

"Come now, is that all you can-OW what the hell?!" started and exclaimed Pabura.

Pabura held up her right hand and looked at it, mortified; her hand was starting to turn black, and it was starting to slowly spread down her hand. "Ki poison... clever bitch!"

"What is ki poison?" asked Pan, turning to her Grandpa.

Goku shook his head. "I dunno, but it sure looks like it hurts."

Pabura was cradling her hand painfully, glaring hatefully at Phage. "You will SUFFER!"

Pabura aimed a hand and unleashed a red stream of energy at Phage who dove out of the way. Pabura rushed at Phage and smashed her left fist into Phage's face, flooring the woman to the ground. Pabura gave a startled cry when her left hand started turning black as well. Phage rose to a knee and grabbed Pabura's left and right knees before letting go. They started turning black as well. Pabura fell to the ground and starting wailing in pain. Phage stood up and smirked at the demon before tapping the demon's forehead with a finger, causing her head to turn black as well. The demon's cries turned into a faint whimper as she began to convulse.

Pan held up an arm to her mouth. "I think I'm going to be sick..."

Pan wished she didn't have the ability to sense ki at the moment. It felt like Pabura's ki was literally being eating alive, it was making Pan's skin crawl and sending shivers down her spine. Thirty seconds later, Phage was declared the winner. Rather than instantly heal the wounded Pabura, the Grand Priest held a hand down towards her slowly seeding ki into her body that fought and purged the black ki poison, Pan was a bit surprised that the Grand Priest had to put effort into healing the demon. Ki poison sure wasn't something to be messed with. After being healed, Pabura left the ring in a hurry and walked out of the arena, leaving the tournament completely. Pan couldn't say she blamed the demoness.

"Damn," murmured Goku.

Vegeta nodded. "If you touch, or are touched by her or her ki blasts, this 'Phage' woman poison's your ki."

Gohan crossed his arms. "Best to stick to ki blasts then and not let her hit you."

"Next! Would Son Gohan from Dimension 1 and Blokron from Dimension 9 please enter the ring!" shouted the Grand Priest.

"Go get em dad!" said Pan.

Gohan gave her a brief nod before flying into the ring. Pan's eyes went wide to see the dark blue dragon from Dimension 9 enter the ring, it's cigarette still in its mouth.

"Begin!" shouted the Grand Priest.

Gohan assumed a defensive stance, his opponent however gave no care and continued to puff on his cigarette.

Gohan frowned. "You going to put that out and fight or what?"

The dragon gave a hearty laugh and began to stalk forward. Gohan didn't move a muscle, merely watching his opponent close the distance. Blokron stopped a few steps infront of Gohan, and pulled the cigarette out of his mouth before leaning forward and blowing a heavy cloud of smoke right into Gohan's face.

"You ain't worth the snuffin out my cig, _boy_ ," mocked the dragon before putting his cigarette back in his mouth.

Pan clenched her fists in anger on her father's behalf. "That disrespect! Oh I hope dad teaches him a lesson!"

Gohan didn't seem fazed. "Well, I guess I'll have to change your mind then."

"HAAAA!" shouted Gohan, a clear aura of power briefly engulfing his body.

Pan raised an eyebrow, dad had just gone full power, ignoring god ki of course. The entire arena went silent at that. If Bage had set the bar high before, Gohan had just raised it well past the majority of the tournament. Every fighter of every dimension save their own was staring at Gohan, sizing him up. Blokron himself looked stunned, its mouth half open, its cigarette began to fall out if its mouth...

 _WHAM_

Gohan drove a fist into the dragon's stomach before spinning and rising into the air to deliver a kick to the side of its head. The dragon was sent flying and tried to recover, but Gohan was already upon it. He drove an open palm into the side of it's head and then a kick to its gut before chopping a hand into the back of it's neck. The dragon dropped like a rock. Gohan moved back to his starting position swiftly and caught the dragon's cigarette before it could hit the ground. He walked over the dragon, dropped the cigarette on the ground, and smushed it under his foot.

"These things are awful for you, take my advice and quit," said Gohan, his voice dry and un-amused.

Pan cracked a smile at that and cheered, "Way to stick it to him!"

Thirty seconds later the Grand Priest called out. "Son Gohan is the victor!"

Gohan rejoined his area, and the dragon was healed and returned to his area.

"Next! Would Unga from Dimension 9 and and Gale from Dimension 5 please enter the arena!" shouted the Grand Priest.

Pan rolled her eyes, sighting one of the green dragons and a young human woman enter the ring. "This is going to be quick."

"Maybe, but who knows, that Phage lady had a trick, maybe this one will as well?" suggested Goku.

"Begin!" shouted the Grand Priest.

The green dragon disappeared and reappeared, smashing a fist into the woman's head and knocking her unconscious in one blow.

"Or not," murmured Goku.

Thirty seconds later, Unga was declared the winner, and the Grand Priest announced the next match. "Would Saler from dimension 3 and Craig from dimension 5 please..."

"I forfeit!" called out a man from Dimension 7.

The Grand Priest paused briefly before shrugging. "Very well, Saler from Dimension 3 is the winner."

Vegeta smirked. "Caving in before the fight even begins? Hmph, not even worthy of being called a warrior."

"It's smart, most of the humans from Dimension 5 are really outmatched," said Pan, "Why bother getting the crap kicked out of them? They aren't Saiyans, they don't get stronger from it."

"Would Mesh from Dimension 4 and Static from Dimension 7 please enter the ring!" shouted the Grand Priest.

The strange red skinned creature from Dimension 4 walked into the arena and drew its sword, waiting. His opponent was a yellow and blue Arcosian that was in its third form. That made Pan scratch her head in confusion. These Arcosian's were all so different that Freeza's clan, she couldn't make heads or tails of it.

"Begin!" shouted the Grand Priest.

Mesh and Static charged at eachother, red aura smashing against purple aura. Mesh swung his blade at the Arcosian, only for Static to easily deflect it with an arm before swiftly jabbing a fist into Mesh's chin, sending him staggering back. Mesh recovered and threw himself back as static swung his tail at him, barely avoiding it.

"Hmm, your quick on your feet," complimented Static, "I suppose I might get a decent work out."

Mesh studied the creature for a moment before speaking. "I'll give you ten seconds to transform into your true form, otherwise I'm going to end this, your no match for me."

Static looked a him curiously. "Is that so? I call a bluff when I see it, you want to attack me while I'm transforming and my guard is down, after all your power is a bit under mine."

Mesh narrowed his eyes before his power and aura increased in size without any obvious effort to power up.

Static's eyes went wide and he imminently clenched his fists. "AHHHHHH!"

Static's outer skin cracked and exploding, revealing a slim, but muscular yellow Arcosian with blue orbs. Across his body were tattoos of thunder bolts.

"Is that more to your liking?" asked Static, his voice thin and deadly.

"It'll do," replied Mesh.

The two warriors burst at eachother, sword meeting limb over and over again, releasing shockwaves on contact each time. Pan took a quick measurement with her senses, they both seemed roughly even, but she felt that they were both still holding back. Static hadn't gone all muscly, and Mesh looked like bored.

"Anyone wana place bets?" asked Pan with humor.

"Mesh," said Goku.

"Mesh," said Vegeta.

"Mesh," said Gohan.

Pan, Goten, and Trunks exchanged glances at that.

"Uh, you guys see something we don't see?" asked Trunks.

A snort was Vegeta's only reply.

Goku turned and raised an eyebrow at Pan. "Goten and Trunks I can understand, but c'mon Pan, can't you see it? You can't still be that rusty over the whole ki coma thing. Close your eyes and feel it out."

Pan hesitated for a moment before she closed her eyes. She followed Mesh and Static with her senses, seeing and feeling them move around the ring and clash. She frowned for a moment, trying to figure it out. They clashed again, sword meeting arm, Static's ki flaring to brace for the impact, while... oh... Mesh's ki didn't flare at all, it stayed steady and even. They might look even, but Mesh wasn't even trying. Pan felt a little bashful, she really ought to have seen it. Maybe taking so much of the last month off her training hadn't been so good of an idea.

"Ki Saber!" shouted Mesh.

Pan opened her eyes in time to see Mesh blur past Static, swinging his sword through Static's body, as if to cut him in half. Pan was stunned for a moment, before she noticed Static's body wasn't actually cut in two. However, the look on Static's face all but said he might as well have been bisected. Static fell to a knee then pitched forward. What the hell?

"Oh, neat, I didn't know you could use a sword like that!" said Goku, an eager smile on his face.

Pan felt a bit ashamed to ask, having missed it, "What did he do?"

"He attacked his opponents ki directly by turning his sword into pure ki for a moment," explained Goku, "It didn't leave any lasting damage but oh that had to hurt."

Vegeta rubbed his chin. "Phage, Mesh, and perhaps more. It seems there are several opponents who focus on damaging their opponents ki rather than their opponent's bodies. It wont be a challenge, but perhaps it will be interesting to fight against."

Trunks scratched his head. "Its weird."

"Mesh from Dimension 4 is the winner!" shouted the Grand Priest after the thirty seconds were up.

After the fighters were removed from the arena, the Grant Priest shouted, "Would Aideen from Dimension 2 and Tremor from Dimension 7 please enter the ring!"

Pan smiled, eager to see how far Aideen had progressed since she had last seen the woman. She took a quick glance at her opponent, noting that the Arcosian seemed to be in his second form.

She hesitated briefly before calling out to Aideen before she entered the ring, "Don't let him transform if you can help it! End it quick or he'll overpower you!"

Aideen paused briefly, glancing back at her and giving a brief nod before entering the ring.

"Where's the fun in the fight if both of them don't give it their all?" questioned Goku, "There's no stakes here, so why not let it happen?"

Pan gave him a annoyed look. "Because I'd rather not let my friend get pulverized if I can help it."

"Aideen is more than capable of handling herself against an opponent of that caliber, she doesn't need your warning, _Saiyan_ ," came a hostile voice.

Pan turned to see Odianna standing next to the divider between their two Dimension sections, glaring coldly at her. Pan lowered her eyes and turned away, merely gazing out at the ring and studying Aideen's opponent. Tremor was a brown and gray Arcosian in his third form, he was also ' _very_ ' bulky looking.

"Jezz, what's your problem lady?" asked Trunks.

Odianna raised an eyebrow. "Your species."

"Drop it and watch the fight," barked Vegeta.

"Begin!" shouted the Grand Priest.

"Times thirty!" shouted Aideen, the red aura of the Kaio-Ken engulfing her body.

Pan took a brief moment to compare Aideen against what she remembered the woman's power to be at several years ago. She couldn't help but raise an eyebrow, not a bad increase, maybe had also taken a few days in the time chamber. At times thirty she might now be able to take on inexperienced Super Saiyans, though, any of the Grade forms or the Mastered form would still crush her. Regardless, Pan felt impressed by her friend's improvement, a human being able to take on a Super Saiyan, even if they were new with the form, was quite the feat, aside from Odianna with her immortality of course.

Aideen gave a war cry and burst forward, slamming a knee into Tremor's face, knocking him back and to the ground. Aideen grabbed his tailed and swung him overhead and then slammed him to the ground. She picked him up again, spun, and threw him into the arena barrier. Aideen charged at him, cocking a fist and preparing to lay into him. Before she could hit, Tremor spun around and thrust his own fist out, throat punching Aideen and causing her to gag and fly backwards at the impact. Tremor fell to the ground with a painful wince and a groan before he shook his head and gave a roar, his ki starting to rocket and his body beginning to morph.

Aideen recovered and narrowed her eyes, cupping her hands to her side. "Kamehameha!"

Pan was surprised to see her using the technique. "Wha...?"

The energy wave surged out and hit her opponent, exploding and leaving a residue cloud blocking view. Aideen relaxed her kaio-ken back to her base and took a quick breather.

Pan frowned. "I don't remember teaching her that, I only taught... oh, Odianna probably passed it on."

Pan snuck a look towards the woman for confirmation, but Odianna didn't even spare her a glance. Pan turned back to the arena in time to see Tremor stalk out of the residue cloud in his final form, though, he was rather burned and battered.

Tremor gave Aideen a look of disapproval. "Attacking your opponent while they transform? Cowardly."

Aideen glared at him. "If you were going to transform, you should have done it before the fight! Your really asking for it by leaving yourself defenseless and hoping your opponent will just let you do it."

Tremor studied her for a moment before giving her a very thin and deadly smile. "Perhaps, I'll make due note to do so in my further matches."

Tremor's muscles bulged, and then he blurred and disappeared, Aideen barely had enough time to cry out, "Times thirty!" before the Arcosian drove a knee into her stomach, doubling her over and then two hand smashing her to the ground. Aideen rolled as she hit, springing up and throwing herself out of the way just in time to dodge Tremor smashing a fist into where she had just been.

Aideen flew back through the air, launching a barrage of ki blasts at the Arcosian. Tremor ignored them, barreling through and letting them explode against his skin. He closed the distance and threw a heavy punch. Aideen reached up and grabbed his wrist, holding him in place. He threw his other fist, only for Aideen to lock it down as well.

The towering behemoth and the young woman strained against eachother, their auras of ki clashing and spiking wildly as they both roared,"AHHHHHH!"

Tremor swiped with his tail, smacking it across Aideen's face and causing her to loose focus. Immediately the Arcosian took advantage, bent her wrists, picked her up, and slammed her into the ground. She laid there, stunned, before crying out as Tremor smashed a foot onto her stomach, grinding down.

"Admirable, but you had best forfeit, you wont last last long against my full power," taunted Tremor.

Aideen clenched her teeth. "Is that a fact? Well, I'm sorry to disappoint you, but I'm not even at my limit yet!"

Tremor took a hesitant step off of her as Aideen's red aura began to increase steadily in size.

Aideen rose to her feet and gave a roar of power as her aura suddenly exploded in size. "Times FIFTY!"

Tremor was sent staggered back by the power up. Aideen burst forward and drove a fist into his right breast area. There was an audible ' _CRACK_ ' on impact, Pan could see his chest cave in and his rib-bcage break from the hit. His entire flesh and body recoiled and convulsed at the hit before he was thrown across the ring, slamming into the far side barrier with devastating force before crumpling to the ground, blood leaking out of his mouth. Aideen wasn't too far behind him. Her aura gave out and she fell to her knees, using her arms to support her, breathing laboriously, her ki completely gutted.

"Not bad Aideen," murmured Pan, "Not bad at all."

"Yeah, I'll be honest, seeing someone go that high in person is interesting," said Goku, sounding thoughtful.

"Hmph, what of it? It cut her power damn near instantly, if she hadn't won with that hit it would have been over," countered Vegeta.

"Maybe so, but it gives me an itch I wana scratch," said Goku, "I've never gone that high before, blue or otherwise. I'm tempted to train and see how long it would take me to be able to burst that high."

Vegeta slowly shook his head and muttered. "Idiot."

The thirty second countdown finished and the Grand Priest shouted. "Aideen from Dimension 2 is the winner!"

Pan joined in with the cheers from the crowd as the woman left the ring and Tremor was helped out.

"Now, would Son Goku from Dimension 1 and Granite from Dimension 7 please enter the ring!" shouted the Grand Priest.

"Tsaaa! My turn at last!" said Goku with glee.

"Hmph, that Arcosian wont even be a warm up," said Vegeta with disinterest.

"You know, dimension 7 has been up a lot," said Goten.

Gohan shrugged. "Randomness of the rounds."

Goku flew to the ring, pausing briefly in the air to call to his opponent. "Yo! Granite, go ahead and transform to your final form thingy before we get started!"

Granite gave him a curt nod and did so. His final form looked very similar to the previous competitor, though, he seemed much older. Unlike some of the other fighters in his Dimension, his final form supported no tattoos.

They both touched down and the Grand Priest called out. "Begin!"

Goku rubbed his hands greedily and then assumed an offensive stance. "Hee hee, getting to fight Freeza's race from another Dimension should be fun!"

Granite stiffened and narrowed his eyes. "Freeza? That name sounds of the Frost Clan."

Goku gave him a curious look. "Frost Clan?"

Granite rolled his eyes. "You know very little of the Arcosian race, do you?"

Goku backed off his stance and scratched his head. "Well, I've only ever met Freeza, Cooler, and Cold in my Dimension."

Granite crossed his arms. "And none of the other clans?"

Goku shook his head. "Nope."

Granite looked agitated. "The Frost Clan in your dimension probably wiped us all out then. They never did suffer competition outside of their Clan very well."

Goku nodded, a serious look on his face. "Freeza and his family were ruthless, heartless monsters."

Granite brought a hand to his chest. "I will not profess to be a saint myself, but, compared to the Frost Clan, the Earth Clan would be considered saviors."

Goku studied him briefly before looking towards the Dimension 7 area. "Earth Clan? What other clans are there?"

Granite seemed pleased with his interest. "Ah, an inquisitive one. At this assembly are members of the Earth, Fire, and Thunder clans. You can note most by their colors and their markings."

Goku nodded slowly, absorbing the information, before he retook his fighting stance. "One last question, how many of the Frost Clan are in your Dimension?"

Granite smiled a very, deadly, smile. "None. They were wiped out centuries ago, they didn't play nice with others and had to be dealt with. How about you?"

Goku smirked. "They didn't give us much choice in the mater, Freeza and his family are long gone."

Granite clenched his fists, his muscles pumping up and his ki rising. "As it should be!"

Goku and Granite charged one another, exchanging a flurry of blows and blocks, Granite giving everything he had from the get go, and Goku testing him out. Pan briefly caught unusual flares of power from her Grandpa, not sure for a moment what she was seeing, it was as if he was glowing red in brief bursts... oh, wait a minute, wasn't that...?

"So you taught him the Kaio-Ken," came Odianna's accusing voice.

Pan turned her head to see Odianna standing next to their divider eyeing her angrily; Pan met her gaze and answered, "He already knew it. Learned it from King Kai when he was dead. I'll admit though, I haven't seen him use it in a fight before."

"Its' because the fool has an 'itch'," muttered Vegeta with annoyance.

Pan rolled her eyes at that. Grandpa could be childish sometimes, but, whatever. If he got a challenge out of fighting only with the Kaio-Ken rather than Super Saiyan, let him have his fun. Though, he was using it very differently than she, and the warriors of Terra did. He almost entirely focused on bursting in very brief moments, rather than trying to use it for an extended duration.

"So what's the matter lady? Jealous?" asked Goten.

Pan shot Goten a warning look and then turned her head to study Odianna, who was critically eyeing Goku as he fought. "Jealous? Hardly, he's a fool who could end the fight in an instant, but like any typical arrogant Saiyan he decides to toy with his food."

With that, Odianna stepped away from the diver and moved away. Pan massaged her forehead, a sudden memory of something Odianna once said to her rising to the surface...

 _"Their arrogance is generally a critical weakness to exploit, not just in regards to challenges, but to their entire fighting style. When Saiyans think they're winning, they grow sloppy, instead of just winning, they toy with their opponent."_

Pan shook the memory off and crossed her arms, studying the fight under a passive, neutral viewpoint rather than as her Grandpa's Granddaughter. Odianna's words rung true in her mind, Grandpa WAS toying with Granite. Even though Pan firmly believed he would never really give his opponent a chance to...

Before she could finish her thought, Granite fired a pair of lazers from his eyes, nailing Goku square in his chest and blowing him to the ground. Granite surged forward, kicked Goku into the air, and grabbed Goku to smash him over his knee. Goku gave a pained cry before his power climbed, going to an unnamed higher Kaio-Ken to break out of Granite's grip and smash a leg into his head, knocking the Arcosian back.

Pan slowly shook her head, watching Goku re-assume control of the fight. Okay, maybe Grandpa would give his opponent a chance to actually do damage. She found herself agreeing with Odianna's old warning, this was unnecessary, Grandpa could end this with a single punch as a Super Saiyan. He was just fooling around to get some enjoyment out of the fight.

Pan withdrew to her thoughts, drowning out the 'fight'. She found herself sifting through old memories, stretching back to a time where she'd rather not go unless she had to. She didn't often dwell on her memories of Terra, but...

* * *

 _Odianna smirked. "Though, when your fighting saiyans, don't hesitate to issue them challenges like that if your losing. The majority of Saiyans are stupid brutes. I won many fights in the early invasions simply because Saiyans will handicap themselves for a challenge, especially when fighting woman because they default to thinking we're weaker."_

 _She turned her head in spit. "If you ever hear a saiyan say 'I'll give you one free hit', please kill them."_

 _She grinned savagely. "There's very few things more satisfying than using a saiyan's arrogance against them, aside from torturing and killing them of course."_

 _Pan hesitated, really not liking that gleeful tone she was hearing. "Okay...whatever..."_

 _Odianna grew serious. "You will listen when I'm teaching you."_

 _Pan blinked a few times. "Teaching?"_

 _"Going into battle against the Saiyan race isn't just about overpowering and beating them into the ground. The proper mindset, and knowledge of how to abuse their weaknesses, goes a long way," explained Odianna._

 _"Their arrogance is generally a critical weakness to exploit, not just in regards to challenges, but to their entire fighting style. When Saiyan's think they're winning, they grow sloppy, instead of just winning, they toy with their opponent," she continued._

 _"That super saiyan this morning could have easily killed you, Aideen, and Aneurin before I got even half way there. Instead, he screwed around and picked you apart one by one, I imagine he mocked you the entire time, or at least for part of it," said Odianna._

 _Her eyes narrowed. "However, that isn't always the case. Very few saiyans are capable of controlling their arrogance to the point where it doesn't distract from their performance. The ones that do are exceptionally deadly. In my experience, that only happens with their so called 'super elites', and first time super saiyans and ascended super saiyans. The latter two are only because they are one hundred percent focused on killing you, though, if the battle lasts long enough, that bloodlust will weaken to the point where their arrogance can influence them again."_

* * *

Pan blinked a few times mulling over the memory before her eyes flickered towards Dimension 2. She didn't look towards Odianna and Aideen, no, she looked at the six Saiyans, the ones she might actually be able to use Odianna's advice against. They were casual watching her Grandpa fight, not looking impressed but also not showing disapproval. She figured they knew he wasn't fighting seriously.

She decided to store away Odianna's advice for the fight, if it helped than it helped. She'd just focus on not making the same mistakes as the other Saiyans, even her family. And speaking of family...

Goku leaped over a lash of Granite's tale, came back down, and smashed a fist into the Arcosian's face, sending him reeling back. Granite feel to a knee, sweat coating his body, exhaustion clearly showing. A moment later, his 100% form gave out. Despite this, Granite gave a roar of fury and charged. Goku blurred, disappearing and reappearing behind the Arcosian, chopping a hand into the back of his neck and knocking him out. Thirty seconds later he was declared the winner and flew back over to them.

"So, how'd I do?" asked Goku teasingly.

"Hmph, you were pathetic," said Vegeta.

Goku rolled his eyes. "Thanks for the support."

"Would Long from Dimension 9 and Kole from Dimension 5 please enter the ring!" shouted the Grand Priest.

Pan took one look at the fighters and dismissed them before turning to her Grandpa. "You could have won right away."

Goku gave her a quizzical look. "Well, yeah, but, where's the fun or challenge in that for either me or the opponent?"

"It's risky," she said, "He did get in a few lucky hits on you. All it takes is one mistake..."

Goku shrugged in response, causing Pan to sigh with a little frustration. Forget it, trying to protect him using Odianna's advice wouldn't work. He was who he was, nothing would ever change that. If he wanted to fight like that, he had ever right to she decided.

"Long from Dimension 9 is the winner!" came the shout of the Grand Priest.

Pan briefly eyed the arena, noting how bored the stronger fighters of the tournament looked. She raised her gaze, looking at the eleven Omni-Kings. It was hard to tell if they were pleased or not with the tournament thus far. In her opinion there hadn't been a good fight yet, but, hopefully they'd be content for awhile.

"Would Trunks from Dimension 1 and Bouldoor from Dimension 7 please enter the ring!" shouted the Grand Priest.

Trunks smashed his fasts against one another. "Alright! Now, whose Bouldoor...?"

Trunks looked and scowled, seeing an Arcosian flying to the ring. "Aww man, that's no fun, he's not even transformed yet..."

"Just end it brat, we've seen enough mockeries today," ordered Vegeta, clear frustration in his voice..

Vegeta rolled his eyes. "Yeah yeah fine."

The moment the Grand Priest began the fight, Trunks went Super Saiyan and pummeled the Arcosian. Pan snuck a glance at Vegeta, he really looked irritated. She could admit she was a bit bored and wanted a good fight, but she was being patient. While she technically approved of it, interfering and ordering his son to just end the fight was a bit off for him in her opinion. She turned away and hid a smirk, maybe it was ' _his_ ' time of the month. She resisted the urge to snicker at the thought, knowing he couldn't have periods and silently dreading that she'd start having her own at some point.

"Trunks from Dimension 1 is the winner!" came the Grand Priest's voice.

Pan turned to face the arena, watching Trunks and the Arcosian leave the ring. She was doing a bit of mental math in her head, they had to be over half-way done the first round. Soon enough she'd get her turn, and it's all she could do to hope that she'd get a chance to fight Coli and-

"Coli from Dimension 2...," came the Grand Priests voice.

Pan's eyes went wide and her body grew still, all she could think was, _"Me me me me me me me!"_

"...against Grace from Dimension 5," finished the Grand Priest.

Pan's eyes twitched with anger and irritation before she registered the fighter and dimension. She glanced over and grew horrified, seeing a young girl enter the ring. Were they INSANE? She was to young! She couldn't be more than eight! Ten at the most! And they let her into the ring!? Pan slightly felt hypocritical at the thought, but banished it. Pan herself was part Saiyan, that Grace girl was not, that made a huge difference. Pan turned her head to watch Coli walk into the ring, hunger in her eyes, her tongue slowly licking her lips at the sight of her prey.

"That girl needs to forfeit, now," said Pan, her voice cold.

Gohan eyed her briefly before nodded. "It would be the smart thing to do."

"Begin!" shouted the Grand Priest.

The little girl, Grace, held up her middle finger at her opponent. "Alright bitch! Lets go!"

Pan grew mortified. "Is she CRAZY?! She trying to egg the Saiyan on!"

"Damn, that kid's got a mouth," muttered Trunks.

Pan turned her head, watching for Coli's reaction. The Saiyan seemed amused.

Coli held up a finger and wagged it back and forth. "Kids these days and their mouths. Tell me, do you know what we do to Saiyan children who disrespect their superiors?"

Grace rolled her eyes, picked her nose, and flicked a booger in Coli's direction. "No, what?"

Coli narrowed her eyes. "We beat them to within a inch of death."

Coli disappeared and reappeared in front of Grace, but not before the girl cried out. "Aura!"

A shimmering blue glow surrounded the girl just before Coli slapped her, hard, across her face. The blow should have sent the girl to the ground and near snapped her neck, but all it did was send her staggering, not even drawing blood. Coli frowned briefly, obviously noticing the same thing Pan did. The amount of energy the girl was giving off shouldn't have been enough to protect against that.

"You hit like a little girl!" taunted Grace.

"You mean like you?" Coli retorted.

Grace stuck out her tongue and pulled down an eyelid with a finger. "Blaaaaaaaaah!"

Now Coli looked like she was getting annoyed. "I was just going to beat you into a pulp, but now I think I'm going to break every bone in your body."

Coli surged forward and began to hit the girl over and over again.

Pan clenched her fists, trembling in anger. "That damn kid, what was she thinking?"

"Hmph, brat, your letting your emotions cloud your judgement, that child isn't as foolish as you think she is," said Vegeta, a tone of interest in his voice.

Pan eyed him briefly before returning to the fight, shoving back her feelings and studying the 'battle'. The girl wasn't fighting back at all. In Pan's mind, the girl should have been struggling, showing fear at the onslaught. Instead... the girl was smiling?! It hit Pan a moment later, the girl was letting herself be attacked, but why?

Coli gave a hard backhand, drawing enough power to finally do damage and knock Grace to the ground. The girl shakily rose to her feet, blood leaking down her mouth, and a heavy bruise on her face.

"Hey! That hurt!" shouted Grace.

Coli raised an eyebrow. "And...? You ARE aware were 'fighting', correct?"

Grace smiled and pointed a hand at her. "Yep!"

"RETRIBUTION!" shouted Grace.

The shimmering blue aura around Grace rushed down to her hand and then EXPLODED forward, engulfing Coli and sending the Saiyan rocketing back. Pan watched with utter confusion, that girl had nowhere near the amount of power to do that kind of attack... wait a second, that energy didn't feel like the girl's, it felt like... Coli's? It hit Pan a moment later, Grace had been absorbing the damage from Coli's attacks and had just unleashed it back at the Saiyan.

"Not bad," murmured Goku, "But she still needs to quit, and right, now."

Pan nodded, eyeing Coli as she picked herself up off the ground, a livid look on her face.

Grace looked stunned. "But... how?! I used your power against you!"

Coli smiled a very small, deadly, smile. "Oh yes, bravo on that. Unfortunately for you, I haven't even had to use one percent of my actual power. Here, let me show you a bit more."

Coli aimed a hand and unleashed a ki blast, Grace's eyes went wide before she shouted, "Reflect!"

A barrier appeared around the girl. The ki blast hit, was absorbed into the barrier, and then released a beam of energy back at Coli, who merely swatted it aside.

Coli glared at the girl, Pan could feel the raw anger eminating from the Saiyan's ki. "I see how you work. You don't fight at all, do you, weakling child? You instead use your opponents own power against them. Disgusting and cowardly, your even more pathetic than the last human I killed, at least that old fool tried to fight with raw power instead of fool trickery. Not that it saved him anymore than your little tricks will save you. You wanted me angry, congratulations, you've succeeded."

Pan narrowed her eyes and clenched her fists, trying her best not to absolutely lose it at those words. How dare she talk about Aneurin like that... how... dare... she...

Before Grace could react, Coli was upon her, grabbing her arm and completely twisting it the wrong way with an audible 'snap'. Grace screamed in pain, only for Coli to smack her face and knock her to the ground.

"This ring was created to house battles of WARRIORS, not little pathetic tricksters like yourself," seethed Coli, "How I hate your type, all you magicians and cowardly schemers are the same. The only place your kind is worthy of being is under my BOOT!"

Coli slammed down her foot on the back of Grace's left knee. There was a sickening crunch before the girl screamed again, huge levels of panic and fear in her voice along with the pain.

"B-barrier!" shouted Grace, a shield of ki forming around her.

Coli pulled back a fist and slammed it right through the shield, destroying it. She reached down and grabbed the girl by the back of her neck, lifting her up into the air. Coli began to walk at a leisurely pace. She stopped at the edge of the ring in front of Dimension 5's area. Coli smiled at the group of humans watching the fight before she reached up and snapped Grace's other arm, causing the girl to scream and begin to sob.

"Stop crying and just forfeit," muttered Pan, struggling to control her rising fury.

Gohan put a hand on her shoulder, giving her a comforting squeeze. Pan eyed him briefly, turning back in time to see Coli slam Grace's face into the barrier. She pulled back and slammed the girl forward again and again, starting to leave blood on the barrier that began to slide down. Coli slammed her forward one more time, holding Grace's face against the barrier and twisting her hand back and forth, smushing the girl.

"Take a look at your friends," ordered Coli, cruelty in her voice, "It's going to be one of the last times you'll get to. I think after I'm done at this tournament, I'm going to hunt down your dimension and burn your world. You humans are disgustingly weak, your species doesn't deserve to live."

Coli threw the child to the ground and then stomped on the child's back, shattering her spine. Grace gave a brief, horrid sob, before she grew still, her body twitching. Coli smiled wickedly at the sight and knelt down next to the child, holding up a finger that began to glow. She pushed the finger through the child's cloths, and into her back, searing her flesh.

"We've got thirty seconds before this 'fight' is over, and I'm going to savor our time together," said Coli hungrily.

Pan couldn't bring herself to look away as the Saiyan tortured the child, burning and mutilating her back. Pan didn't think she'd ever be able to get the girl's screams out of her head. Finally, thirty seconds later, the Grand Priest ended the fight in victory for Coli. The Grand Priest aimed a hand down and healed Grace. The child rolled over and stared at Coli, terror in her eyes.

Coli licked her lips hungrily. "I'll be seeing you again after the tournament."

Grace gave a horrid sob and threw herself out of the ring, rushing out and exiting the arena completely. Pan saw one of the other Dimension 5 fighters run after her. Pan felt a lump form in her throat, the Grand Priest might have healed the girl's body, but, the mind and spirit were something else. Pan stared hatefully at Coli, at the monstrous Saiyan. She was reminded of memories, of old hatreds she had against the Saiyan race, her own race. She narrowed her eyes when Coli paused on her way back to her area, turning to look at Pan, eyebrow raised.

Two hands gripped her shoulders, Pan looked back to see her father giving her a warning look. "Pan..."

It took Pan a moment to realized her power was starting to spike. She took a deep breath, let it out, and turned her gaze away from the Saiyan. She did note as her gaze turned away, that other Dimensions were now giving the Saiyans wary looks. Good, it would do them well to understand just what they might one day be up against...

"Would Buu from Dimension 1 and Majin Xuu from Dimension 10 please enter the ring!" shouted the Grand Priest.

Pan broke away from her thoughts at that match up. What in the world were the chances the sole two Majins would be paired up against eachother? This could be interesting, and one of the better fights of the first round! Both of them had to be stronger than almost any Super Saiyan 2s, save for Grandpa and Vegeta of course.

Buu held up his gloves fists and cheered. "Buu turn, Buu turn!"

Majin Xuu said nothing, giving his counterpart an annoyed look as they flew to the ring. The two Majin's flew to the opposite sides and touched down, staring down one another, Buu with a silly happy look on his face, Xuu with utter contempt.

"Begin!" shouted the Grand Priest.

Neither Majin moved, they did however speak.

"Buu and Xuu fight! Fun fun!" shouted Buu.

Xuu glared at him. "Are you only capable of speaking like a broken idiot?"

Buu's happy face disappeared and his closed eyes opened angrily. "No make fun of Buu!"

"Fun? Do you think I take delight in finding another of my kind for the first time in my life, only to discover he is a gibbering idiot?" scolded Xuu, "You could have at least had the decency of absorbing SOMEONE with intelligence."

Pan's heart skipped a beat. Absorbing someone...

She looked to her Grandpa, noting the serious look he had. She shifted her gaze, seeing it on the others as well. She shifted through her memories of the tale of Majin Buu. She remembered! He could absorb people! Take on their memories and powers! She sharply looked back to the ring, understanding dawning on her, and then a bit of fear and apprehension.

Majin Xuu had obviously absorbed people. Buu on the other hand, hadn't. In fact, he had lost his evil half, which meant...

Buu charged forward. "Buuuuuu!"

He threw a right hook towards Xuu's face, only for the other Majin to easily catch it. A surprised look crept across Buu's face.

Xuu wagged a finger back and forth. "Ah ah ah, bad Majins need a time out."

Xuu snapped his fingers. Buu gave a shriek of surprise and flew back. Two weird purple looking half-shells appeared and enclosed around him, trapping him inside. The prison tumbled to the ground and lay still.

"He... sealed Buu, just like that," murmured Trunks with concern.

"Ahh man, were not gonna stand a chance against that without Gotenks!" whined Goten.

Pan crossed her arms. "Hmph, he didn't even give Buu a fight!"

"That's the point," murmured Vegeta, "He's trying to not reveal his power until he has to, in order to catch his opponents off-guard."

Goku nodded. "Yeah, but, if he's absorbed people, at bare minimum we should consider him beyond Super Buu's level."

"Stronger than when Buu absorbed me an the others?" questioned Gohan.

Goku was silent for a moment. "I'm... not sure."

"Majin Xuu is the winner!" shouted the Grand Priest.

Majin Xuu snapped his fingers, releasing Buu from his ball, and scolded him. "Your vulnerable to the containment spell. Did you NOT at least absorb your imprisoner?

Buu shot him an angry look. "Buu no like Babadi!"

Xuu shrugged and walked out of the arena. "Your choice I suppose, but without a mage's touch to resist it, anyone with the knowledge can seal you away."

Buu flew back to their area, looking peeved. "Grrrr, Buu no like Xuu!"

Goku patted him on the shoulder. "Its okay Buu. I think, oddly enough, he was trying to give you advice, though, I don't think absorbing people is a good idea."

"Next! Steven from Dimension 5 against Groana from Dimension 8," shouted the Grand Priest.

Pan eyed the two fighters briefly before dismissing it as a fight not worth watching, she turned to her dad, "You know, those Dimension 5 guys name's sound a lot like their from the western half of our world."

Gohan nodded. "There's definitely some similarities. Though, their Dimensions, judging from the spectators, seems a lot more familiar with ki. Perhaps its not a secret there."

Pan toyed with the idea briefly. "I wonder if that knowledge should be spread in our Earth."

Gohan shook his head. "I'm not sure. Ignoring that people think its all a light show of tricks thanks to Mr. Saten, I can't trust that people wouldn't misuse ki."

Pan nodded slowly. "I guess, but, without all of us, the Earth is really defenseless. And looking at Terra, I know what happens if a world can't properly defend itself."

Gohan went silent for a moment before sighing. "Perhaps, but, the question would be would there even be a world left if the nations of the world were all fighting for power with ki..."

"Groana is the winner!" shouted the Grand Priest.

Pan crossed her arms and watched silently as the next three rounds came and went. Bolter from Dimension 7 against Raven from Dimension 3 went to Bolter. Odianna against Jerico from Dimension 5 went to Odianna. Finally, Shovura from Dimension 8 against Phillip from Dimension 5 went to Shovura. Pan's eyes flickered to Dimension 5, save for Phage, that entire Dimension had been knocked out of the tournament already.

"Now! Would Pan from Dimension 1 and Kidu from Dimension 4 please enter the ring!" shouted the Grand Priest.

Pan smirked. "Finally!"

She started towards the ring, only to pause, sighting her 'opponent' bounding to the ring. Really? Her opponent was the weird four legged dog creature with tusks. She was fighting an animal as her opponent. She sighed, rolled her eyes, and went into the ring. Figures that...

"Begin!" shouted the Grand Priest.

...that she'd get something weak as her first opponent. It was a shame to, she thought there were at least three Saiyans that she... wait was that dog firing an energy beam from...

Pan gave a startled yelp and dove out of the way as Kidu fired an energy beam from its mouth at her. It suddenly rushed forward, a blue aura of power coating its body. It leaped at her, its maw open wide to take a huge bite. Pan flew up into the air and out of the way. The creature growled and began to fire mouth beams at her. Pan nimbly dodged, barely paying attention. The fight didn't interest her, it was the fact that an ANIMAL was using ki that had her complete focus. She didn't think it was possible for an animal to do so!

"Strange," murmured Pan.

Maybe it wasn't an animal then? She stretched out with her senses, trying to probe its mind. She had little to no experience doing so, Grandpa's mind reading ability was something she didn't know how to replicate. What she did feel however confirmed her original thought. She felt a... wildness from the creature.

She winced as an energy beam almost hit her head, barely skipping missing. Okay, enough fooling around. Pan dove to the ground and then rushed the creature, powering up as she did. Kidu turned and flicked its barbed tail at her. Pan barely had time to register something being flung at her, and a stinging sensation hitting her, before she kicked Kidu into the air, causing the creature to yelp. She grabbed its tail, spun it, and threw at the barrier. It hit hard and fell to the ground. It shook its head and rose to its paws. Pan started forward again...

Pan suddenly lost focus, her eyes blurring. She shook her head and blinked a few times, rubbing her forhead. There was a burning sensation going up her arm...

Pan gave a start, sighting a purpe needle like thing embedded just below her wrist. She looked at it, looked at the creature which seemed to almost be smiling in triumph, and then looked at its purple barbed tail. She vaguely recalled that when she first laid eyes on the creature wondering if its tail was poisonous. Son of a bitch...

There was another wave of dizzyness and nausua that hit her all the sudden, causing her to stagger. She shook her head and ground her teeth. Okay, no screwing around, this had to end, now. She didn't want to reveal her true strength yet, so, that left her with...

"Times thirty!" Pan shouted.

The fires of the Kaio-Ken engulfed Pan. Immediately she winced, suddenly feeling like her veins were on fire. Shit, of course the Kaio-Ken would make the poison worse. She swore silently to herself and burst at the creature faster than it could react. She pummeled it into the ground, taking a few claw swipes and poisonous barbs before she beat it unconscious. She did not like being cruel to animals, but, she liked being poisoned even less...

Pan felt another huge dizzy spell and lost her Kaio-Ken. It took everything she had not to puke her guts out, merely falling to a knee beside the creature. She pulled its barbs out of her body and waited. Thankfully, thirty seconds later, she was declared the winner and they were both healed.

Pan eyed the creature as it picked itself up dejectedly. "No hard feelings?"

Kidu eyed her, giving a low growl. She offered a hand, and it hesitated for a moment before stepping forward, licking her hand, and then bounding off back to Dimension 4. She smiled softly to herself and flew back to her own area.

"So... poison?" asked Goku.

Pan nodded. "I started feeling like crap reaaaally quick."

Goku smirked. "Reminds me of the heart virus I had ages ago, bleeeeh."

They shared a briefly tortured smile. She had a feeling Grandpa had the far worse experience on that end, but at least she had a faint idea of what he might have gone through.

"Plate from Dimension 7 and Nach from Dimension 2, please enter the ring!" shouted the Grand Priest.

Pan briefly eyed the fighters, an Arcosian and another one of the Saiyans, before dismissing the fight from her mind.

"Dammit! How long am I going to be kept waiting?!" came a furious Vegeta, "There's only two more damn fights this round. I swear if I'm the last fight..."

Pan felt a wave of relief at those words. Only two more fights and then the first round would FINALLY be over. She was a bit amused with Vegeta as well. He was really grumpy today. She briefly turned back to the fight, seeing that Plate had transformed to his final form, and Nach had gone Super Saiyan and had proceeded to beat his opponents face in. It didn't take much longer for the fight to finish in the Saiyan's favor. She gave the Arcosian a brief look of pity, their race was strong, VERY strong, but they could not match the might of a Super Saiyan.

"Next! Would Mato from Dimension 2 and Paw from Dimension 3 please enter the ring!" shouted the Grand Priest.

Pan immediately turned her head to smirk at Vegeta who was practically steaming.

"I'm the LAST DAMN FIGHT of the first round?!" roared Vegeta.

Pan did her best not to laugh as his silly distress. Though, she was curious, who would be his opponent? She took note of the two fighters entering the ring, another Saiyan and the dog-man from Dimension 3. She then began to pass her eyes over the other fighters in the arena one by one, making a mental check-list until only one remained.

Pan raised an eyebrow. "It'll be worth it, I think the best fight was saved for last."

Vegeta scowled at her. "Oh? Is that so?"

Pan lifted a finger and pointed towards the Saiyan's of Dimension 2. "Cress is the only other fighter left, the Super Saiyan 2 Aideen said she fought that was really fast and had some strange afterimage technique."

Vegeta's anger evaporated instantly, an interested and eager gleam taking its place. "The best fight for last indeed. I'll be able to test these so called Super Saiyans myself!"

"Mato is the winner!" shouted the Grand Priest.

Pan could practical feel the eagerness radiating from Vegeta's ki as the man waited for his turn. It had amused her initially, but now, it was actually making her kind of curious. Vegeta was usually FAR more controlled than this. He hadn't said anything out of the ordinary, but...

"For the final match of the first round, would Vegeta from Dimension 1 and Cress from Dimension 2 please enter the ring!" shouted the Grand Priest...

* * *

 _Author's Notes:_

 ** _FIRST AND FOREMOST_** _: I'm having_ _FAR less time_ _to write than i used to. As such, this chapter, ignoring its huge length compared to normal, took awhile. Even then, I kind of 'cheesed skipped' a few uninteresting fights and shortened what I did with others. I *might* have bit off a bit more than I could chew trying to create a full fledged tournament with other Dimensions, so, I had to reign it in a bit._

 _I could have split this chapter up into multiple sections/chapters, but decided to keep most of it together until Vegeta VS Cress, THAT I want to give its own chapter._

 ** _So as a second warning_** _: Expect the chapter publishing to slow down compared to what I used to do, I'm sorry, but work is kind of clamping down on me, and I'm using more of my spare time now to relax instead of write. Real life's a bitch._

 _Now, onto some info for the Dimensional characters:_

 _Dimension 9_ _: The Dragons were nods to the three Eternal Dragons in Dragonball/DBZ/DBGT: Shenron (Long, as Shenron is also called Shen_ _long_ _), Parunga (Unga = half of his name), and Black Smoke Shenron (Blokron = parts of his three word name combined together). That third dragon is probably the only acknowledgement of GT you will find in this entire story, well, aside from the fact that there are humanoid dragons to begin with._

 _Like Beerus and Beer, Vadaka from Dimension 3 is a play on the beverage Vodka._

 _Dimension 4_ _: Mesh and Kidu are light references to Gilga_ _mesh_ _and En_ _kidu_ _, characters I knew from the Final Fantasy video game series, and also from the Epic of Gilgamesh._

 _Phage from Dimension 5 is a reference to Phage the Untouchable from Magic the Gathering._

 _If you guys have any questions, ask and I might put them into the next Authors Note's section._


	40. The Ghost Waltz

_**Potara - Chapter 40: The Ghost Waltz**_

* * *

Pan watched Vegeta and Cress enter the ring and walk to opposite ends. The stood there eyeing one another, a grin slowly spreading across their faces, anticipation radiating off of not only the two fighters, but the vast majority of the entire set of fighters who had a clue what real power was.

"Begin!" shouted the Grand Priest.

"Ahhhhhhhhh!" roared both Vegeta and Cress, ascending to Super Saiyan 2 and raising their powers.

Pan kept a critical eye on Cress, measuring the woman's power. She was nothing to sneeze at, her power was rocketing higher and higher. A few moments later, her power settled, a little bit above Pan's own maximum. Vegeta however kept pushing his power higher and higher until it hit his maximum as an ascended Super Saiyan, a maximum MUCH higher than Cress's

Pan took note of Dimension 2's reaction to Vegeta's power. The other Saiyans, save for Kale who looked emotionless for the moment, were clearly surprised and shocked. She watched, eyebrow raised, as the Saiyan's shock gave way to childlike eagerness and glee. She rolled her eyes, what was she expecting? They were Saiyans, they love, they CRAVED challenge, they all wanted a piece of Vegeta now.

Her eyes flickered to the other end of the Dimension 2 area. Odianna's eyes were locked on Vegeta, a deadly, serious, studious look on them. There was a tint of unease in her eyes. It was obvious to Pan that Vegeta was the strongest Saiyan she had encountered up to this point. She knew Grandpa and Odianna had 'fought' one another briefly, but Grandpa hadn't really powered up to show off his strength. Odianna still looked confident, but Pan knew she'd be watching the fight critically.

Aideen on the otherhand looked dumbstruck and slightly mortified. The vast majority of the other fighters appeared to share that outlook, save for Mesh, Ogloo, and the Majin. Mesh looked a bit grim, but he showed no fear. Ogloo didn't seem to care at all, most likely because of his apparent ability to copy the form and power of his opponent. The Majin Xuu seemed to share a bit of the Saiyan's interest, though, if he was eager, he didn't show it.

Cress herself showed absolutely no fear, in fact, her stoic appearance had fallen away and she was showing quite a bit of glee. "Oh my, for a princeling, your rather impressive. Your even stronger than the elder hybrid."

Vegeta scowled. "Only because he treats training as an unwanted chore."

Cress raised an eyebrow, a disapproving look crossing her face, and shot Gohan a glare. "How disappointing, after that show of strength against that dragon earlier, I was prepared to take back my own misgivings about the hybrids."

She slowly shook her head before turning back to Vegeta, licking her lips hungrily. "But enough about hybrid failures. I, Cress of the Ghost Waltz, shall be dining on a royal delicacy."

Vegeta smirked. "Come and try."

Cress clenched her fists, her eyes flashing gray for a moment. "Ghost Dance!"

Pan watched with confusion as a barely visible gray mist filled the ring. Vegeta tensed, giving his surroundings a curious look. Cress charged at him, bursting forward. Vegeta met the charge and threw out a fist, only for it to pass through Cress's body, causing her to shimmer and fade away, an afterimage. The real Cress reappeared and booted the back of Vegeta's head, causing him to stagger forward.

Vegeta spun and threw a punch. His fist passed through Cress again, causing her to disappear. Cress reappeared against and slugged Vegeta across his face, sending him staggering again. He ground his teeth and rushed forward, attempting to drive a knee into Cress's stomach, only for her to disappear yet again and reappear to hit his shoulder. Vegeta gave a growl of frustration and leapt back, putting some distance between the two of them.

Pan frowned. "I... can't follow her movements at all when she does the afterimage."

Goku crossed his arms, a troubled look on his face. "Neither can I."

Pan gave him a startled look. "Really?!"

Gohan stepped forward to stand beside them. "I don't think this IS the afterimage. This is something else."

Pan watched as Vegeta rushed forward again, trying to land blows. Each time he 'hit', Cress's body merely disappeared and then she reappeared and counter attacked over and over again. It was like she was a ghost...

"Ghost Dance," murmured Pan, "That's the technique name she called out when they started fighting. Your right dad, this is something else entirely."

Pan started to grow nervous. This was a technique unlike anything she had ever seen before. A completely ' _alien_ ' ability from another Dimension. Just what other strange techniques and strategies could other Dimensions come up with?

Vegeta might be quite a bit stronger than Cress, but they were still in the same power tier. He hadn't landed a blow on her yet, she had at least landed twenty and that count was quickly rising. Vegeta was starting to look a bit bruised, and blood was leaking out of his nose and mouth.

Vegeta rushed at Cress again and threw a fist forward. She faded away and reappeared, striking at him. This time, Vegeta blocked the hit and counter attacked a split second later, only for it to go through Cress once more. Vegeta ground his teeth and repeated, waiting for Cress to counterattack before attempting to grab her arm the split second after she hit him, only for him to grasp thin air as she disappeared again.

Vegeta looked livid. "That hell is this?!"

Pan couldn't help but agree. "That's crazy, there's no way she can move fast enough! That was like a milisecond after she hit him!

Vegeta stopped trying to fight all of the sudden and began to fall back, trying to put distance between himself and Cress. He had an intense frown on his face, and he was looking around the arena as he ran, as if trying to spot something. He flew up high into the sky.

"WHERE THE HELL ARE YOU!?" he roared before unleashing barrage after barrage of ki blasts down into the arena.

Pan noticed something as his blasts tore through the air. The mist disappeared for a few moments after the blasts left before re-filling. Pan's eyes went wide as she noticed something else. As Cress moved through the space without mist, parts of her body disappeared where there was no most! She was attacking and dodging through the mist itself somehow.

"That's it! It's the mist! He has to get rid of it!" Pan cried out.

Goku gave a start and then studied the battle for another moment before agreeing, "Oh! Good catch Pan. Lets just hope Vegeta figures it out."

Vegeta gave a roar. "Galick Gun FIRE!"

His blast tore through another afterimage of Cress and exploded, clearing a large area of mist. Cress reappeared and clobbered him. Vegeta gave a cry of pain and plummeted down, Cress following quickly. He fell through a mist-cleared area, and when Cress followed, she completely faded away until Vegeta came through the other side of the mist-cleared area and hit the ground. Then Cress reappeared behind him and tried to hit him.

Vegeta rolled out of the way, his eyes narrowing, fury on his face. "Oh I see how you work now you clever bitch!"

Vegeta flew up into the air, crossed his arms, gathered energy, and then threw his arms out to the side. "GAAAAAAAAAAH!"

Energy exploded in all directions, engulfing the entire arena, and clearing the area of mist. Cress reappeared, giving a cry of surprise and pain. Vegeta rushed her, driving a knee into her stomach and kicking her to the wall. She hit it, wincing. Pan smiled at that, he had finally got a hit in!

Cress massaged her stomach and then smirked before clapping mockingly. "It's about time you figured it out princeling. Well done."

Vegeta crossed his arms and glared at her. "That little trick won't work on me anymore. I advise you not bother with it."

Cress rolled her eyes. "It did its duty, I'd dare say your hurting quite a bit after that, and your power's taken a noticeable drop."

Vegeta ground his teeth. "Don't get cocky."

Cress raised an eyebrow her voice taking a deadly tone. "Cocky? I'm merely stating a fact. Don't worry princeling. I'm taking you, _very_ , seriously."

"Ghost strikes!" roared Cress.

Cress's arms and legs began to glow with a translucent blue glow, overriding her yellow Super Saiyan one. Vegeta tensed and flew back away from her quickly. To Pan's complete and utter shock, Cress threw out a punch, her hand disappeared through a portal, and reappeared through another one across the ring, slugging Vegeta's face.

"What the hell?" exclaimed Pan.

Cress began to throw out a barrage of punches and kickes, each going through portal's that appeared and battered Vegeta. The Saiyan Prince gave a howl of rage and burst forward. Cress took off in the air, running away, all the while punching infront of her, each one phasing to hit Vegeta.

"So, that's how her fighting style works," said Goku.

Pan eyed him. "Huh?"

"Her two techniques shes used. They focus around damaging her opponent while having absolutely no risk of taking no damage in return," explained Goku, "If Vegeta hadn't been so much stronger than her at the start of the fight, she woulda beat him no contest. This isn't nearly the same as an enemy just being faster than us, that you can at least strategize against. This? We've never fought an opponent like this before. We have no experience against her kind of techniques and tactics."

A eager, childlike grin spread across Goku's face. "Awesome! It's awesome! This kind of thing is just what I hoped to see from other Dimensions! Completely different styles of fighting that we have to learn to fight against and overcome!"

Pan didn't exactly share his enthusiasm. This was deadly, and dangerous. They were lucky that this was just a tournament and not a clash between dimensions. Then again, if it wasn't and they hadn't made that no god ki bet, Vegeta could just go blue and beat her instantly. Still, it was troubling. What IF they did come across a god tier opponent who DID have some crazy techniques that they couldn't figure out in time? It was... concerning...

"GRAAAAAAAH!" came a primal scream of fury.

Pan's eyes flickered up, sighting Vegeta begin to burn his energy. He put on a huge burst of speed, closing the distance and smashing into Cress. He threw a heavy fist into her back, sending her sprawling through the air. He rushed forward and began to deliver a serious of hits and kicks before he gave a roar and two-handed smashed her to the ground.

The translucent blue glow faded away a moment later. Cress was a bit slow to rise to her feet, wiping blood from her face and breathing heavily. Vegeta charged her again, raising a hand to strike and smashing her across the ring and into the barrier on the far side. She hit it and slid down, wincing painfully. Her eyes went wide with fear as Vegeta burst across the distance and attempted to deliver a powerful blow.

"Banishment!" cried out Cress, waving a hand.

To Pan's astonishment, Vegeta completely disappeared. Cress sat there, breathing in and out heavily. Thirty seconds later she rose to her feet and looked up at the Grand Priest.

"It's been thirty seconds! Shouldn't I have won?" asked Cress.

The Grand Priest phased into the ring and spoke. "Vegeta has not surrendered, nor has he been rendered _unconscious_ or _knocked out_ for thirty seconds. 'Banishing him' does not count as a victory."

The Grand Priest phased out of the ring, leaving Cress there swearing profusely to herself. Cress continued stood there for about a minute, breathing in and out, trying to catch her breath...

"EEEEYAAAAAA!" came a faint roar.

A crack in the air appeared and burst open in the ring, creating a brief portal that Vegeta came out of. Cress looked up at him in disbelief.

Vegeta glared down at her. "Hmph. Locking me in another Dimension? Nice try, I know how to get out of that little trap."

Pan grew confused. "How?"

Trunks and Goten exchanged knowing glances before Trunks spoke up. "When we got trapped in the time chamber when fighting Super Buu, we both just powered up alot, did a huuuuge shout of power, and broke through a dimensional wall."

Cress ground her teeth. "I'll give you credit, your a tenacious one princeling."

Vegeta smirked. "I know."

"Ghost Strider!" shouted Cress.

Cress took a step forward and the instantly moved infront of Vegeta, socking the suprised prince across his face. She stepped back and instantly appeared across the arena before he could counter attack. She kept phasing closer and hitting before phasing back before she could get counter attacked. Pan was starting to grow a little worried. Vegeta had taken so many hits compared to Cress...

Cress phased in and struck Vegeta once more, this time however he took it in stride, grabbing her wrist before she could phase away and locking her in place.

He clenched down, causing her to wince painfully. "I've had about enough of your little tricks woman!"

Vegeta curled his fist and drove it deep into her stomach. Blood splurted out of Cress's mouth and she staggered back after he let go, falling to a knee. Vegeta spun and lashed out with a leg, smashing it into the side of Cress's head, sending her skidding and flipping over the along the ground before she came to a stop, cringing painfully.

Vegeta breathed in and out, wiping sweat off and blood off his face before starting forward. Cress rose to her feet, cradling her stomach, glaring at Vegeta.

"Oh? So its tricks is it? What would you prefer? That I directly and stupidly fight a stronger opponent head on? Oh please, don't insult me. I didn't become the sixth strongest Saiyan in my entire universe through stupidity and brute strength," taunted Cress, "Unlike you obviously."

Vegeta paused to spit a little blood out of his mouth and glare at her. "Excuse me?! Stupidity and brute strength?! Oh I'll show you'll see just what I'm capable of, woman!"

Cress rolled her eyes. "Relax, It's not my fault you get a bit pissy when your losing, princeling."

Vegeta narrowed his eyes. "Losing am I? Your the one losing despite all your tricks you little wench!"

Cress smirked. "Temper temper, what, is it your time of the month?"

Pan wasn't sure if she should laugh or cringe at the sight of Cress getting under Vegeta's skin. He looked absolutely PISSED.

He glared at her. "Disrespecting royalty is grounds for a _severe_ punishment. I hope your ready for it."

Cress suddenly adopted a deadly, wrathful look on her face. "There is only one Lord, one King, one Emperor of the Saiyan Race that I have sworn loyalty to, and he sure as hell isn't a pretender like you. For what kind Saiayan of royal blood lets his race dwindle to nothing?"

Pan saw movement out of the corner of her eye and turned. She sighted Kale crossing his arm, a very pleased and proud smile crossing his face. Pan rolled her eyes, Cress sure had scored brownie points with that little speech.

She noticed all the sudden that all the anger had vanished off Vegeta's face. He... actually looked hurt by Cress's word, borderline devastated. Pan felt a brief pang of pity and sadness for Vegeta. Those words had seemed to hurt him far more than any one blow Cress had landed on him thus far.

Vegeta slowly shook his head. "I wont feign innocence of failing my charge. While I was but a boy when my homeworld was destroyed, I wasn't even the one to avenge my race and bring our conqueror low. It's why I never took up the mantle of king. Perhaps one day my descendants may prove themselves worthy of the tittle, but, as for me, I'll remain a prince to the day I die, always chasing a way to prove my race, and my father, proud."

Pan eyed Dimensions 2 Saiyans, and Cress in the ring. Pure blooded Saiyans never seemed the emotional type to her, but they all seemed a bit... affected by his words. Mixtures of emotions passed their faces before a strange look took over them. It took Pan a moment to recognize it as a look of kinship. In one short speech, he had owned up to his failings, his pain, and his struggles to them, and it was obvious to Pan they heavily respected him for it.

"Come then Prince Vegeta, show me the might of a Saiyan Prince," said Cress softly.

They burst at eachother and exchanged a flurry of blows, neither of them holding back. Pan couldn't help but notice however that Cress was no longer attempting to use her strange techniques anymore, but fighting Vegeta head on, going against what she had previously said. Was she... throwing the fight?

Pan crossed her arms, giving her Grandpa a questioning look, she could tell he noticed the same thing she did.

He shrugged. "I think its a Saiyan pride thing."

She frowned, uncertainty crossing her face. "I don't get it, but, whatever. He would have won anyway..."

"Its not about winning or losing child," came a stern voice.

Pan turned her head to see Kale walking over, he stopped at their divider, glancing down at her with disapproval. "Obviously you know little of Saiyan pride and honor."

Pan glared at him. "Really? Honor and pride? What kind of pride do you take in murdering entire planets of innocent people? What kind of honor is there in purging planets?"

Kale looked at her with pity and sadness that Pan heavily resented. "You know so little of our race."

"I _know_ , I've _seen_ enough!" she spat at him viciously.

Kale met her gaze for a moment, a questioning look in his eyes, before he broke away to look at Grandpa. "Son Goku, how exactly did our species die in your Dimension?"

"A tyrant named Freeza blew up our homeworld from space," replied Goku.

Anger flashed across Kale's face. "From space?! The cur didn't even have the honor to slay us personally in combat? Miserable bastard."

Goku slowly nodded. "He was pretty gutless. Never trained nor worked hard a day in his life up to the point when I first went Super Saiyan and beat him. He was simply a mutant born strong enough to throw his power around."

Kale frowned intently. "Disturbing. I'll have to hear the details from you later."

 _WHAM!_

Pan turned her head to see Cress fall to the ground on her back, her Super Saiyan 2 aura failing. Her hair and eye color faded back to normal and her power plummeted. Vegeta was breathing heavily, blood and dents and sweat coating his armor and body. Pan couldn't remember the last time he looked so battered. He had really been pushed and worked over in that fight. Well, if a good fight was what he wanted, that no God Ki bet sure gave him one.

Thirty seconds later the Grand Priest spoke. "Vegeta from Dimension 1 is the winner!"

Vegeta and Cress were healed, but they both stayed on the ring, facing one another. Cress gave a curt half bow of respect and walked away back to her area. Vegeta stayed there for a few moments, a soft look on his face, before he masked it and walked back to their area silently. Pan gave him an uncertain look, but he ignored her and walked out of the arena entirely, appearing to want to be alone.

"The first round is over. We will now give a thirty minute window to eat, rest, and relive yourselves before we move to the next round. Bathrooms are scatted through the hallways of the arena, and eateries have been set up outside," called out the Grand Priest.

Pan took in a breath and slowly let it out. Round one was over, finally. One quick break, and it would be time for the second...


	41. Round 2

_**Potara - Chapter 41: Round 2**_

* * *

Pan stood silently alone in her area. The others had all left to go get food and interact with the other Dimensions. She hadn't felt hungry and said as much, though, that only served to get her strange looks. She rolled her eyes, a part Saiyan not being hungry? _Surely it must be the end of the world_. She scoffed at that.

"You alluded to your Grandfather's strength, but I don't recall you ever mentioning any else of your acquaintances having significant power," came a cold voice behind her on her left.

Pan turned her head, sighting Odianna standing next to the divider between their two dimensions. As much as she desperately craved to talk with her, why was Odianna willingly speaking with her? Pan recalled that she had wanted nothing to do with her. Pan stared at her silently, those cold, angry, hateful eyes were painful to meet. Her words registered a moment later, she wasn't here to talk, Odianna was trying to pump her for information.

Pan mulled over the question in her mind before deciding to simply be truthful. Even though Odianna hated her, Pan would never be able to return that feeling. She cared too much for the woman, and couldn't bring herself to lie to her.

"At the time, my dad wasn't nearly as strong as he is now," said Pan, "He spent a few days in the time chamber."

"And this 'Prince Vegeta'?" demanded Odianna.

Pan shrugged. "He's just my Grandpa's rival."

Odianna appeared to ponder that for a time before clarifying, "Just a rival? You say that so casually that I assume your Grandfather is superior to him."

Pan met her eyes and answered dead on, "He is, by far."

There was a brief flicker of worry in Odianna's eyes before it faded. "I see."

Odianna turned to leave before Pan called out, "Shouldn't I get a question in turn?"

Odianna turned back and frowned at her. "..."

Pan struggled to work up the nerve to ask, "O-odianna... if I had revealed that I was a quarter Saiyan to you before the invasion... w-would you have looked past it?"

There was a brief flicker of surprise on the woman's controlled face before she masked it. "..."

Pan stood there, saying and doing nothing but steadily meeting Odianna's gaze. She desperately wanted and yet dreaded the answer. A yes would mean that Pan had royally screwed up and forever lost any trust she could possibly have gained with the woman. A no meant that Pan would forever be hated by a woman who had taken her under her wing, given her a treasured gi, and been a comrade in arms. Either answer would be agonizing for her to hear.

Finally, Odianna spoke, "I don't know."

Pan stared at her, dumbfounded. "You... don't know?!"

Odianna crossed her arms and glared at her. "Your asking me to answer a question in an unbiased way based on a hypothetical set of circumstances to a possible event that would have happened years ago. What do you expect me to say?"

Pan couldn't answer that and merely stood there.

Odianna rubbed her eyes, a tired sigh escaping her lips. "It wouldn't have mattered anyway, even if I... had accepted you for who you were. Quarter Saiyan or not, the moment you became a Super Saiyan was the moment you betrayed us all and turned your back on humanity. That, I would never have looked passed."

Pan met her gaze steadily, mulling over her words. Odianna had evaded directly answering it, but then laid on a counter to the question itself. That counter, strangely enough, hurt far less than having her question actually answered.

Pan's eyes flickered to Aideen, who was a ways off watching the two of them warily, before shifting back to Odianna. "I regret not telling you the truth Odianna, and I'm sorry for it, but, I went Super Saiyan not for myself, but because of her, for her, for the others, and even for you. At times I may hate myself for being part Saiyan, but, I don't regret becoming a Super Saiyan anymore. I needed to become strong enough to protect those I care about, even if..."

Pan struggled to speak, "E-even if I damned myself in your eyes by doing so."

Odianna stared at her, a pang of what Pan thought might have been longing in her eyes. "I remember now why we took you in and trained you. You... should have been born a full human."

She turned and started walking away, bitterness in her voice. "Your too good for the Saiyan race to claim as their own. The day I kill you, it will be quick and painless, that much I can give you."

Odianna paused briefly and rubbed her eyes, she spoke with a strange tone, full of exhaustion and lacking hatred, "I'm tired of fighting your damn kind."

Pan watched her walk away and slowly brought a hand up to her heart, feeling it going crazy, feeling like it was going to split apart. She had absolutely no idea how she was supposed to react to those words. Happy? Upset? Relieved? Devastated? For a few minutes, she stood there, stunned, trying to get a grapple on her emotions.

In just a few quick words, Odianna had said pretty much everything Pan wanted and did not want to hear. It was obvious Odianna still hated her, but, it had cooled to the point where Odianna hated that she was Saiyan rather than her herself, at least that's what Pan thought. That longing in her eyes and bitterness in her tone, Pan felt like the woman didn't want to hate her, but couldn't help but do so. However, the fact had NOT been lost on her that Odianna had said she was eventually still going to kill her... it just... why...? Why did it have to be this way?

Pan felt herself start to choke and shoved her feelings down before she could start to sob. She did her best to not start hyperventilating and gripped the divider between their dimensions, hard. Having an emotional breakdown in the middle of a tournament was NOT happening. She did her best to steady her breathing before she moved to the front of Dimension 1's area. She stood there for a few minutes, brooding, before something hit her that alarmed her greatly.

"She sounded tired," murmured Pan, curious, yet very uneasy.

She frowned at the thought before a sudden chill ran down her spine. She broke away from her musings and narrowed her eyes, looking around. For a split second, it had felt like... like someone was watching her. She shook her head after seeing no one in particular looking her way, and resumed her musings...

* * *

Up above and behind her, to Pan's left, sitting hidden in the spectator area of Dimension 3, a certain demoness sat hidden behind an illusion, keeping an eye on her 'prize'.

"She's far more aware than I gave her credit for," murmured Towa, a little alarmed that Pan had felt her presence in her mind.

She rubbed her chin in thought. She had personally pursued Pan out of their dimension, since her crystal ball could not gaze out of their dimensional boundaries. She had not given other dimensions much thought, not until she saw the terrifying sight of ELEVEN Omni-Kings sitting together high above watching the tournament unfold. It was then that she realized just how much she needed Pan's power. She could not afford to wait, she needed to step up her plans and start pushing Pan.

Being here was dangerous, and she knew it. But on the other hand, hiding in plain-sight with nothing more than an minor illusion spell right under the noses of the Omni-Kings was a delightful treat. It made her want to laugh maniacally with glee, but she kept herself composed.

This 'tournament' brought her a unique opportunity to study other dimensions for their potential use. It also brought her an opportunity to begin to work on corrupting Pan. This last month had eroded so much of Pan's edges. It had been infuriating to watch Pan begin to slowly change and walk away from her anger and lust for power. However, for all the setbacks Towa had suffered, she now saw one perfect opportunity: The Saiyan Coli.

Oh how Pan loathed her. Oh how Pan hated her. Tasting that hate was delicious. It was a delicacy that Towa would savor. The moment Pan had become enraged at hearing a friend had died, Towa had sunk her claws into the child's mind. Every moment of rage, every moment of hate Pan directed towards Coli let Towa sneak another anchor in the child's mind.

And this last conversation Pan had with this 'Odianna' woman had considerably weakened Pan's mental fortitude on top of all the hate churning inside of the girl. It was almost to good to be true. It was a delicious opportunity, and she hadn't been able to resist nestling her presence inside of Pan's mind. Though, it had almost gotten her caught, the child had far more magical awareness than she should have. Perhaps it had something to do with that green power of hers...

Fortunately, Towa wasn't inside of Pan's mind to control her or read her memories or anything so invasive that would get her caught. No, she was simply there to subtly weigh on Pan's mental fortitude. To weaken her emotional control, and prop up Pan's anger and rage at the most opportune moment. Maybe seed a thought here and there in the girl's mind. Small things that would work against the girl. She needed to turn Pan back down her path of chasing power, and what simple way than to give Pan what she wanted? Revenge was a dish to be savored and then devoured, and Towa had every intention of giving it to her,

She had considered giving Pan Coli right away, but decided to dangle the prospect of the fight before her for awhile, to let Pan's anticipation and anger simmer and then boil over. She had been a little... concerned... about trying to fix a match under the nose of the Grand Priest, but it was surprisingly easy. The Grand Priests, and the Omni-Kings, were not on guard. They were not paying attention to anything but watching and enjoying the tournament. With her magic, and a little bit of power from the Demon Time Ring, it was easy to make sure Pan and Coli did not fight, and were not paired up against someone that would knock them out of the tournament.

She turned her attention back to Pan, studying the agitated girl. It was curious... she glanced to 'Odianna', the woman was an extreme source of mental anxiety for Pan. Towa was more than aware she was missing out on information. She could only go through the time-stream of her home Dimension, not other dimensions. What Pan went through in other Dimensions she could only learn of through second hand information.

Still, the moment that had just transpired was useful for destabilizing the girl, regardless of her lack of background on why it had happened. She figured in another round or two, she'd give Pan her treat, and like the perfect pet, she'd devour it. Towa licked her lips at the thought, oh yes, Pan was going to enjoy it, and Towa would keep her ignorant of the consequences of what would happen afterwards while she was caught up in the moment. It would destroy all the so called ' _progress_ ' Pan had made and set her family against her once more and isolate the girl.

Not only that, if she could push Pan enough to actually murder Coli in a tournament that forbade death, it would pit her against the gods. She was a treasured friend of the Omni-Kings, so she wouldn't be destroyed for breaking a rule. However, it would cause a conflict, and sow more seeds of anger and resentment towards the gods.

Oh yes... this tournament was the perfect opportunity...

She pursed her lips and whispered with a wickedness fitting for a demon, " _Small steps corrupt..._ "

* * *

Pan gave a start when something poked her side. She turned to see Goten holding some weird looking fried meat on a stick, giving her a poorly hidden look of concern. She smiled faintly and took it, deciding to indulge in the offer and chowed down. The offering didn't really make her feel better, but she did her best to hide her emotions.

"Thanks _uncle_ ," said Pan, a bit of tease in her voice.

Goten rolled his eyes. "Calling me uncle makes me feel old! I'm not even thirty yet!"

"Oh please," she mocked, "We both know your still a seven year old kid!"

"It took him and Trunks long enough to hit their growth spurts," said Videl, coming up behind them, "I thought those two were going to be kids forever!"

Trunks joined them, an amused look on his face, "I think its a hybrid thing, we age pretty damn slow."

Videl put a hand on Pan's shoulder. "Well that's good, lets me keep my baby girl awhile longer."

Pan rolled her eyes. "Moooooom! No babying! Go back to the spectator area!"

There was a brief shared laughter before the Grand Priest began to speak high above the arena, "The second round is about to begin! All fighters and spectators please return to their areas!"

A minute passed while everyone re-organized themselves before he continued, "Now! Would Ugloo from Dimension 6 and Majin Xuu from Dimension 10 please enter the ring!"

Pan raised an eyebrow, watching the two fighters enter the arena. Now there was a dangerous match up...

"Begin!" shouted the Grand Priest.

Ugloo's body began to warp, and it turned into a mirror image of the Majin. Xuu didn't appear alarmed or distressed, instead, it grew amused.

"Tell me puddy man, you can copy my body and my ki, but can you replicate my magic?" asked Xuu.

Ugloo charged at Xuu, only for the Majin to hold out a hand and shout, "Freeze!"

Ugloo stopped moving and literally froze, becoming encased in a block of ice that toppled to the ground. Xuu crossed his arms and waited.

After a few seconds, Xuu merely smirked. "That would be a no as my answer. A pity."

Pan frowned. "This Majin doesn't screw around, he ended the last two fights instantly."

Goku nodded. "Yeah, we'll have to be on our guard if we fight him."

"Thirty seconds have passed! Majin Xuu is the winner!" shouted the Grand Priest, "Next, would Saler from Dimension 3 and Mesh from Dimension 4 please enter the ring!"

After they did, the Grand Priest spoke. "Begin!"

"Ki saber!" shouted Mesh.

The armored alien shimmered and moved through the air at blinding speeds, his glowing sword passing through the lizard man before he could react, attacking his ki directly. Saler's ki gutted and he dropped to the ground instantly, taken down in one blow. Mesh flourished his sword infront of him for a moment before sheathing it.

Thirty seconds later, the Grand Priest shouted, "Mesh from Dimension 4 is the winner!"

Pan rolled her eyes. "We need more GOOD fights. Vegeta's fight was like, the only good fight of the last round."

"Next! Would Kale from Dimension 2 and Long from Dimension 9 please enter the ring!" shouted the Grand Priest.

Pan watched as the Saiyan Emperor and one of the green humanoid dragons entered the ring. Pan hoped she'd get a better grasp of just how strong that Saiyan was from this fight.

"Begin!" shouted the Grand Priest.

Kale beckoned with his hand. "Come dragon, show me your power!"

Long didn't respond, he merely brought up a hand to pull on one of the whisker's coming from below his nose. His red eyes studied the Saiyan Emperor with wariness. They stood at an impasse, neither of them willing to be the first to take the initiative.

Finally, the dragon struck, opening its mouth and breathing fire across the ring. Kale jumped into the air and charged the dragon, swinging a fist. The dragon reached up and caught the strike, only to be sent flying back when Kale drove a knee into his face.

Pan frowned. "I didn't feel any ki when he hit."

"He's raising and lowering it almost instantly," observed Goku, "He's got masterful control."

Pan nodded, resuming watching the fight. Kale continued to attack the dragon, fists and legs flying in a brutal unrelenting barrage. It took Pan a minute to finally be able to pick up in the quick, subtle rises in power. She raised an eyebrow at that, for his base power, that wasn't bad at all. Though, she still had no clue to his actual strength, nor his power as a Super Saiyan. This dragon wasn't strong enough to push the Saiyan into revealing his power.

Kale kicked the dragons stomach, grabbed its whiskers, and pulled its face down into his knee. "Pathetic!"

Kale lifted up the dragon and threw it to the ground. "I'm starting to grow disappointed. Ten dimensions, and I have only been impressed by one other than my own."

Thirty seconds later, the Grand Priest called out. "Kale from Dimension 2 is the winner!"

The dragon was healed, and the fighters left before the Grand Priest spoke again, "Would Aideen from Dimension 2 and Son Pan from Dimension 1 please enter the ring."

Pan coughed at that and winced. She had to fight Aideen? She glanced back and over at the woman who met her gaze. Aideen merely shrugged and took off towards the ring. Pan sighed and followed after her, she didn't want to be the one to knock her friend out of the tournament. They stopped walking at opposite ends of the ring.

"Begin!" shouted the Grand Priest.

They both tensed and then shouted, "Kaio-Ken times thirty!"

Aideen gave her an irritated look as the fiery aura engulfed them. "Don't insult me Pan. I know your far stronger than this. Do not go easy on me."

Pan winced. "Well... I wanted to give you a decent fight..."

Aideen narrowed her eyes and raised her voice. "Pan!"

Pan sighed. She really didn't want to fight the woman as a Super Saiyan, fearing she might actually see her as an enemy despite her earlier words. Pan shut off the Kaio-Ken, and reluctantly went Super Saiyan.

Aideen studied her, still looking irritated. Pan crossed her arms, she knew Aideen had seen her go Super Saiyan 2 in a fit of anger over Aneurin's death, but she wasn't going that high. She could easily accidentally kill the woman if she did.

Pan rushed forward and threw a telegraphed punch. Aideen caught it, spun, and tried to flip Pan over her shoulder. Pan grabbed her arm and her shirt as she did, spinning the woman and instead throwing her overhead and into the nearby barrier. Aideen winced, shoved herself off, and threw herself at Pan in a furious barrage of punches and kicks.

Pan easily blocked, but did not counter. She knew Aideen only had one very slim chance of actually winning this. It all depended on when Aideen would burst to a times fifty, if she did it at the right time and hit the right spot to knock her out. Best not to actually let her do that...

Pan suddenly caught a punch, spun, and threw Aideen to the ground. She rushed forward, drove a knee into her back, and grabbed an arm, pinning it down. Aideen quickly cursed to herself. The woman threw her hand back and released a burst of ki. Pan let it hit her, doing little but irritate her. She grabbed Aideen's other arm and pinned it down as well. Aideen didn't have a choice now. Pan mentally began to countdown in her head...

"Kaio-Ken time fifty!" roared Aideen.

Aideen's power exploded and the woman bucked Pan off of her. Aideen rushed at her, throwing a fist at her face. It connected and sent Pan staggering. Aideen kicked her chest, knocking her back, and then cupped her hands together.

"Kamehameha!" roared Aideen, unleashing the ki wave at Pan.

Pan steadied her legs, braced herself, and held out her hands, catching the energy wave. Pan's arms trembled a bit, but held steady. Aideen was impressive, Pan felt once again proud of her friend, unfortunately, she still wasn't a match for a Super Saiyan of Pan's level...

"Hyper Kaio-Ken times fifty!" screamed Aideen in pain.

Pan's eyes went wide in shock. "Aideen?!"

Blue energy exploded out of Aideen, changing the color and intensity of the Kaio-Ken into a far superior form. Aideen's energy wave suddenly overwhelmed Pan's defenses. It hit and exploded, sending Pan screaming and rocketing back, her hands seared badly. Aideen rushed at her and unleashed a heavy barrage of blows, battering Pan until Aideen two-handed knocked her to the ground.

Pan braced herself, tensing and preparing to go Super Saiyan 2 when Aideen suddenly collapsed infront of her, her power giving out. Pan blinked a few times, astonished and confused. How the hell had Aideen managed to use the Hyper Kaio-Ken? More important, how had she survived using it?

Aideen's body was literally burning, her clothes were on fire, and blotches of her skin were blistering, but, she wasn't dying. Pan slowly shook her head, waved a hand, and extinguished the fire with a gust of gi. She stood over her until the match ended and the Grand Priest healed them both.

Pan offered a hand. "You know, that wasn't a really smart idea."

Aideen scowled at her and took her hand. "I'm aware, Odianna had to force feed me a few Senzu's the last time I tried it."

Pan helped her up, and Aideen continued as they walked out of the ring. "But, since were being tended to by the gods, I decided, why not? I did better this time."

"I'm surprised it didn't instantly kill you," said Pan, confusion lacing her voice.

Aideen shook her head. "Odianna spent a lot of time in the time chamber mastering that form. She found a much better way to regulate the ability. I can't sustain it worth shit, but, I can at least use it for a combo."

Pan mulled over Aideen's words silently as they separated and went back to their separate areas. The Hyper Kaio-Ken used by a none-immortal and surviving... that was quite the feat... and it was _**VERY** _ tempting to investigate learning how to do that herself. Yes... it could be a great source of power...

Pan blanked for a moment. What the hell? Where had that thought come from? Pan bristled at the power hungriness, she thought she had banished that line of thinking a month ago. She tried to push it away, chasing power had gotten her family and friends set against her, she wasn't interested in going down that path again.

However, the thought, it kept being brought back to the forefront of her mind. She hesitated, rolling it over in her head. The Hyper Kaio-Ken was a powerful ability, when she eventually became a Super Saiyan God, using that version of Kaio-Ken could let her surpass even her Grandpa... it was... a very tempting idea...

Pan rubbed her forehead, trying to banish the thought once more, and started to get a headache. It was as if _something_ was bringing the thought back against her will... it was really starting to agitate her... there was a heavy throb in her mind... something didn't feel right...

"Next! Would Phage from Dimension 5 and Heata from Dimension 7 please enter the ring!" called out the Grand Priest.

Pan's mind cleared suddenly, much to her relief. She turned her head to eye Phage, the ki poisoner. Her eyes flickered to Heata, an Arcosian Pan assumed was from the fire clan. She sized them up. Heata was VASTLY more powerful than the human woman. But, power meant nothing against ki poison, as the demon woman that Phage had been up against had been far stronger as well.

The two fighters entered the arena and walked to the opposite ends, when they did, the Grand Priest shouted, "Begin!"

Phage's aura of black ki engulfed her immediately and she swung her right arm like a sword in Heata's direction, a wave of ki surging forward in its wake. Heata leaped out of the way. Phage immediately turned and began firing ki blasts at him. Heata continued to dodge, taking exceptional note of the trajectory of each ki blast. He had definitely been paying attention to Phage's fight and knew not to get hit.

Heata's eyes flashed and a rather weak looking lazer beam surged from them. Phage dove out of the way, and kept sprinting out of the way as Heata kept firing. They continued for a few minutes, both trading ki blasts, before they suddenly stopped, one floating high in the air, one floating on the ground.

There was a look of frustration on Heata's face that Pan didn't understand. "Why's he pissed? He can just use more power and end it."

"Pan," said Goku, "You do realize, no offense to them, that his opponent is a human, right? Not even as strong as Tien? Using more power would kill her, easily."

Pan blinked a few times, and resisted the urge to smack her forehead. Duh, of course that was it. He was severely handicapped by the no-kill rule. Heata was far stronger than Phage, but he could only use a fraction of his strength, and could not physically touch her without getting ki poisoned. That, _severely_ , limited his options.

Her eyebrows furrowed in thought. " _It would also limit my options to if we ended up fighting_."

Pan suddenly started hoping that Heata would win, so she didn't need to worry anymore about the ki poisoning woman whose presence gave her chills. The woman didn't feel evil, per say, but her presence was unnerving. She remembered her earlier impression of ' _wrongness_ ' and stuck to it.

Pan narrowed her eyes, sighting Phage beginning to charge a large ki blast. The woman fired it, but strangely, it moved incredibly slow. Suddenly, half way between Phage and Heata, the ki blast exploded with a loud gross ' _splotch_ ' sound. The explosion left a black stain in the air, and to Pan's surprise, that stain started spreading.

"What the hell?" was all Pan could say.

Phage started firing smaller ki blasts as fast as she could that exploded and left smaller spreading stains. Heata seemed confused for a moment before he swore and fired a ki blast at the stain, trying to get rid of it. Instead, the stain absorbed the ki blast and had a growth spurt. Heata tried to fly around it, but it was to late, Phage had completely cut off the top and bottom half of the arena with the stains. Pan felt pretty sure that if Heata touched that goop, it would ki poison him.

Heata gave a roar of frustration, charged his power, and attempted to bum rush through the goop as a last ditch effort. It worked, in the sense that he got through, but his entire body quickly started turning a shade of black, heavily ki poisoned. Heata fell to his knees and pitched forward before he could even take two steps towards Phage. Thirty seconds later, Phage was declared the winner, the ring was cleansed, and Heata healed.

"I really don't want to have to fight that woman," murmured Pan.

Goku nodded. "You and me both."

"Next! Would Nach from Dimension 2 and Goten from Dimension 1 please enter the ring!" shouted the Grand Priest.

Pan immediately turned to her uncle. "Goten! Don't take that Saiyan for granted. Full force from the start."

Goten nodded, an unusual serious look for him crossing his face. "Got it."

Pan felt glad for once that someone appeared to listen to her. Goten flew to the ring and walked to the opposite end of Nach. He hadn't trained nearly as much as she had these last few years. Pan crossed her fingers and nibble on her bottom lip nervously, hoping Goten could pull off a win.

"Begin!" shouted the Grand Priest.

Goten immediately turned Super Saiyan 2 and started raising his power. Nach raised an eyebrow at that and mimicked him, ascending and raising his power to his maximum. Pan started cursing quietly when the one she didn't want to win started pulling ahead in power. When they finished, Pan couldn't help but groan.

"Goten can still win," said Goku, "All he has to do is play it safe and smart."

Pan turned to him and raised an eyebrow. "Goten and smart in the same sentence? Pick one and ditch the other."

"That's not nice Pan," chided Gohan, trying to mask his own amusement.

Pan's attention was drawn back to the ring as Nach began to chuckle and then speak, "Your Dimension is an interesting one, _boy_."

"How so?" asked Goten, adopting a defensive stance.

"In your dimension, our race, brought low, forced to _cross-breed_ to survive, yet, still remains so strong," said Nach with a mixture of distaste and admiration.

"What the heck is so wrong with a hybrid?" asked Goten with genuine confusion.

Nach scowled. "It taints the pure-blood of our warrior race. The last hybrid to walk in our dimension was a weak, pathetic, abominable creation that deserved to be snuffed out."

Goten shrugged. "And...?"

Nach slowly shook his head. "You Human-Saiyan hybrids however, appear to be a mix that still allows for great power. Yet..."

His face contorted in disgust. "I've watched your dimension fight and interact. For all your strength, none of you hybrids appear to hold the great pride of our race. It seems lost on you. Without pride, your existence is a SIN."

At the last word, Nach burst forward. Goten managed to raise an arm in time to block. The impact still sent Goten reeling back. Nach continued to lash out viciously, but, Goten still managed to somewhat block all of the attacks until Nach fell to a knee, spun, and swept Goten's legs out from under him. Nach caught Goten's foot as he fell, rose, brought Goten swinging overhead, and slammed him into the ground. Then, with a twist, he snapped Goten's foot, breaking it.

Goten gave a yell of pain and cupped his hands together, quickly aiming them at Nach. "Kamehameha!"

The wave burst forward and hit Nach point blank, blasting him backwards, across the ring, and into the barrier where the energy wave exploded. Goten slowly rose to one foot, wincing painfully and trying not to stand on the other, before he started floating into the air.

Pan recognized that with a broken foot the ground was strictly off limits to her uncle. She turned her eyes, sighting Nach and seeing that he had recovered. The Saiyan rose into the air, the lightning cackling around his body growing intense. Nach burst forward and slammed an elbow into Goten's face faster than he could react. Goten was sent flying, clutching his cheek painfully. Nach pursued him and kicked him further up into the air. Before he could go far, Nach grabbed his arm and started to plummet towards the ground.

With a roar, Nach landed on the ground and attempted to smash Goten down. To his credit, Goten thrust a hand out and unleashed an energy wave at the ring floor that stopped his momentum. With a snarl, Goten twisted his body and slammed his good foot into Nach's face and sent the Saiyan staggering back. Goten righted himself in the air and took off after him, lashing out with a heavy fist, slamming it into Nach's shoulder and sending the man spinning.

Goten flew forward and cocked a blow over his shoulder, thrust it forward, only for Nach to lash out with both hands and catch the blow. Nach twisted, and there was a god awful snapping sound as Goten's wrist broke and he cried out in pain. Nach spun and threw Goten to the ground.

Pan grumbled and then sighed. "He's screwed."

No one said anything to argue her words.

Goten rose to a knee, wincing. "Damn."

Nach flew down an spin-kicked, slamming a foot into Goten's shoulder with a heavy crunch, sending the young man yelling and sprawling head of heals across the ring floor. Nach flew after him, grabbing him by the back of his shirt, and continuing on. Nach thrust Goten forward and slammed him into the ring barrier, pinning him against it and twisting his good arm behind him.

"Is this the best you can do hybrid?" taunted Nach.

Goten slammed his head back, bashing his skull against Nach's and sending the man staggered back. Goten spun, flew forward, and smashed his good hand into Nach's face, knocking the man down.

"How about that?!" spat Goten angrily.

Nach looked up at him, amusement in his gaze. "Not good enough, _boy_."

Nach rose to his feet, appearing no worse for the ware. "Tell me, hows that wrist and foot feeling? I can't imagine your shoulder is that much better."

Goten glared at him and rushed forward, driving a knee towards his stomach. Nach raised his own knee to block, and then grabbed Goten's wrist when he threw a punch with his good hand. There was another audible 'snap' as Nach violently twisted and broke that hand too.

Goten gave a cry of pain and seethed, "What the hell is with you and breaking limbs!?"

Nach kicked him back and to the ground before shrugging. "Saves me from having to waste my time beating down stubborn fools. Since you lack any pride, I suggest you surrender, _boy_."

Pan could tell Goten was pissed. Her uncle hadn't lost much energy in the round thus far, but, with both his hands, and a foot broken, not to mention a damaged shoulder, it was pretty much over. Nach fought not to damage his opponents, but disable them. It was a cunning strategy. Though, judging from the look on Goten's face, he was more than willing to keep fighting with nothing but his elbows, his knees, and his head. Pan started to grow worried, this was going to get brutal and she didn't want Goten to get hurt anymore than he already... huh?

Goten's eyes flickered their way, and Pan caught Grandpa shaking his head slightly, her eyes went wide when Goten grumbled quietly to himself and then powered down. "Fine, I give up."

Pan turned her head and gave Grandpa a questioning look, Goku merely shrugged in response. The two fighters were healed, and went back to their areas. Pan felt a bit dumbfounded that Goten had suddenly given up, even with provocation from Grandpa, but decided not to question it. She was after all relieved to see her uncle not be brutalized.

"Next! Would Vegeta from Dimension 1 and Bage from Dimension 2 please enter the ring!" shouted the Grand Priest.

Once more, Pan watched the Saiyan Prince get into the ring with another Saiyan from Dimension 2. Pan's eyes flickered back and forth between them, noting that both had rather passive looks unlike the usual eagerness she saw on them. Bage half-bowed respectfully, and Vegeta gave him a curt nod. With that, they both ascended to Super Saiyan 2 and rushed at eachother, rising into the air as they began to trade blows back and forth.

Pan's eyebrows furrowed. They were fighting viciously and full-force, but, there was a strange, dance-like rhythm to it. It almost seemed... seemed like...

She frowned intently and finished the thought: It seemed like it was a farce. The moves were far to telegraphed on both fighter's end to be real. This match had already been decided.

She eyed her Grandpa and took note that he was only half-paying attention to the fight and appeared to be lost in thought. She turned her head and glanced at the other Saiyans of Dimension 2. They all had one eye on the fight, but were quietly talking among themselves, showing little interest.

Since when would Vegeta of all people allow a match to be thrown? Especially when he didn't need to, he could easily beat down any of the Saiyans of Dimension 2. What in the world was this bizarre show for? She continued to watch the 'fight' progress until Vegeta 'won' at the end and took Bage to the ground.

That on the other hand perplexed her even more. It was one, VERY, strange thing for Vegeta to go along with this. It was even stranger for this Saiyan who Vegeta didn't even know to go along with it as well.

"Did I miss something?" Pan quietly murmured to herself.

"Their Emperor," whispered Gohan.

Pan turned her head to give him a questioning look. "What about him?"

"He wants to fight Vegeta, I heard the two of them talking during the between round break," replied Gohan, "And he won't tolerate anything getting between the two of them fighting, and ordered the others to throw their fights."

"And Vegeta agreed to that?" Pan whispered back, confused and slightly alarmed.

Gohan shrugged, appearing to not have anymore information. Pan shot her Grandpa a look, but he didn't return it. If he knew anything, he wasn't saying. Pan resisted the urge to give a frustrated sigh and decided to just drop the subject and not approach Vegeta about it. The Prince returned the the area a moment later after being declared the winner.

"Now! Would Coli from Dimension 2...," began the Grand Priest.

Pan's heart skipped a beat, a savage eagerness rapidly came over her. Please please please was all Pan could think. She wanted, she _**CRAVED** _ the chance to fight Coli. The thought was so abnormally strong in Pan's mind it almost scarred her.

"...and Shovura from Dimension 8 please enter the ring," finished the Grand Priest.

Pan resisted the urge to cuss none-stop. She _**WANTED** _ that Saiyan in battle. But, she knew her chances of actually being paired against her weren't exactly high. The chances increased every round, but if either her or Coli were paired against the best of the tournament, then they'd be knocked out before they could fight. Pan seethed quietly to herself as Coli and a demoness from Dimension 8 stepped into the ring.

Pan gave the demoness a once over since she hadn't paid attention to her during the first round. She was similar to Pabura, though, her coloring was difference. Her hair and eyes were a blood red crimson. Unlike Pabura, her face gave no fake hints of innocence, it was laced with cruelty and malice. In her hands she bore a dark brown staff with a red sphere embedded upon the top of it. Her clothing was more like Towa, a red top, but a black bottom.

Pan's eyes switched back and forth, noting how both Coli and Shovura eyed eachother with a feral looking hunger. Pan knew without a doubt they were both wicked monsters, it would be fitting to see them go at eachother and know which one was the worst demoness, because Pan knew that even though Coli was a Saiyan, she was a demon at heart. No one who would murder Aneurin would be anything but that.

"Begin!" shouted the Grand Priest.

Shovura glowed with a black-purplish aura, igniting her power, a wicked smirk on her face. Coli returned the smirk, but it mutated into a borderline maddening smile. Coli gave a roar, and ascended to Super Saiyan 2. Immediately, Shovura's smirk faded, and a fearful look overtook it.

Pan rolled her eyes at that. Scum like that always showed off and acted all high and mighty until someone stronger appeared and then they always fell apart. The predator became the prey. She found it pathetic, this fight wouldn't last long, Pan was certain Coli wasn't using even a quarter of her full Super Saiyan 2 power. Unless Coli dragged it out for spite like she did with that child last round, it would be quick. Pan's eyes twitched in fury at the memory of that. That poor child...

Pan rubbed her forehead, a headache coming on again. Coli... needed to suffer for her crimes, oh yes, it needed to happen. What she did to that child, for murdering Aneurin, and who knows how many other innocent people she murdered back in the Saiyan's home dimension. _Yessss Pan, you know she needs to pay, you hunger for it... don't resist it..._

Pan blinked a few times, growing confused with the bizarre turn her thoughts took. She agreed Coli needed to be punished, but, why was she thinking of herself, to herself, like that? Before she could contemplate it, the headache faded and Coli started fighting.

Coli rushed forward and drove a knee into Shovura's stomach, sending her flying back. Coli rushed forward, ripped Shovura's staff out of her hand, twirled it over head, and then speared it through Shovura's right leg. The demoness screamed and clattered to the ground. Coli knelt, roughly, on Shovura's stomach, driving her knee down into it.

"Come demon, let's mess up that pretty little face of yours," said Coli with glee.

Coli backhanded the demoness once, twice, a third time, a fourth time. Blood started leaking out of the demoness's face as Coli continued her beatings. Coli raised a fist high into the air, and brought it down on a curve, smashing it into the demoness's nose and 'readjusted' her face. Shovura gave a scream of pain and place both of her hands against Coli's chest, giving a huge burst of power that threw the Saiyan off her.

"You BITCH! How dare you touch me!" roared Shovura with rage, rising to her feet and ripping her staff out of her leg.

Coli laughed and started forward, her power starting to build. "How dare I? Oh little demon, you haven't seen the things I DARE to do."

Shovura's rage faded, and fear overtook her again. "I... I give u-,"

Before she could finish, Coli closed the distance and clamped a hand around Shovura's throat and another over her mouth. "Shh... don't ruin our time together. Were not done yet."

Coli lifted her up and body slammed her to the ground. Once more Coli pinned her down, but kept one hand wrapped around the demoness's throat as she began to torture her again. Pan grimaced at the sight, she had absolutely no love for demons, but this... it was cruel. She had little doubt in her mind who was the worst out of the two fighters.

Shovura passed out from lack of oxygen a minute later, but Coli hardly stopped for that. Shovura's face was in ripped up bloody taters by the time the match was called. Coli seemed rather pleased with her handiwork, and walked away from the match with a faint smile on her face. Pan shot the woman a hateful look and started brooding. Gods, how she wanted to fight her. The thought of fighting that woman was damn near all consuming...

"Now! Would Trunks from Dimension 1 and Mato from Dimension 2 please enter the ring!" shouted the Grand Priest.

Pan broke from her thoughts and turned to Trunks. "Good luck."

Trunks nodded, and glanced towards his father, who had a serious look on his face. Vegeta however did not offer any encouragement aside from a curt nod. Trunks nodded back, and took off towards the ring. Pan eyed Trunk's opponent. Mato was the Saiyan who looked the most unassuming out of the lot. Short and plump, tanned, and open and aware look on his face that was almost childlike. Pan frowned, rubbing her chin.

"He doesn't look like much, but...," murmured Pan.

"Looks are deceiving Grandbrat," said Vegeta in a quiet tone, "I've talked with them. Mato is the head of that group of five, he answers only to their Emperor."

Pan gave a start and looked at Vegeta for a second confirmation. He nodded once more and turned towards the ring. Shit... that fat little blob was the strongest out of the five Emperor's Hands?! Oh no, Trunks...

"Begin!" shouted the Grand Priest.

Mato and Trunks rushed at eachother, not even turning Super Saiyan. They fought fast and hard, exchanging blows to test one another's endurance, speed, and tactics. It was bizarre to Pan, seeing someone so short and fat move like that and easily keep up with Trunks.

Trunks threw a fist down at the fat man, only for Mato to catch the fist, spin, and throw Trunks overhead. Trunks flipped through the air and landed on his feet, turning to eye Mato warily. The two of them paused, sizing eachother up, before the suddenly turned Super Saiyan and threw themselves at eachother again.

Trunks aimed a kick at Mato, only for him to leap over it. Trunks spun and brought his other knee up and slammed it into the fat Saiyan, launching him up into the air. Trunks pursued him, rushing forward and throwing a heavy punch. Mato surged to the side, dodging the hit, before launching him forward and headbutting Trunk's shoulder, sending him flying.

Trunks stopped his moment and paused to rub his shoulder painfully. He rushed back at Mato throwing a heavy punch, Mato caught the blow, grabbing Trunks' wrist. Trunks smirked and threw his other fist forward, turning Super Saiyan 2 as he did to try and catch Mato offguard. The Saiyan would not have it and mirrored Trunks, ascending without even showing any signs of surprise, and blocked the blow.

The two separated and then reengaged, rising into the air as they exchanged punches and kicks, their power steadily climbing as they did. Pan was mentally counting down the seconds it was going to take for Trunks to peak out his power and start fighting with everything he had. However, for each bead of power Trunks gained, Mato matched effortlessly.

Something was strange about this Saiyan. He was deathly silent. He did not speak, he did not taunt or jeer at his opponent like pretty much every Saiyan Pan had ever encountered. It was eerie, he merely stared at Trunks with wide open eyes, not saying anything, just matching Trunks blow for blow. Pan found it... unsettling for some reason.

Trunks started getting serious. His hits grew harder and faster, timing his blows to try and catch Mato offguard. He threw a hit towards his neck, then a fist down towards his gut. Each time though he was blocked. It was like Mato knew what Trunks was going to try ahead of time. Trunks spun, aiming a kick towards Mato's neck while at the same time throwing a fist towards his knee. Mato blocked both and shoved Trunks away. Trunks looked irritated, his breathing starting to grow hard and visible... wait what?

Pan frowned. Trunks breath was visible, as if he were out in the cold of winter. The hell? She had been in the arena, the temperature was normal, not hot or warm. What was going on?

Trunks flew up into the air, cupping his hands together. "Galick gun FIRE!"

The energy wave rained down on Mato, instead of dodging it, he simply held out a hand. It hit and exploded, leaving a cloud of energy residue momentarily blocking sight of Mato. Not for long though, the Saiyan burst out of the cloud and slammed a fist deep into Trunks gut. Trunks doubled over momentarily, recovered, and then swatted Mato away. Trunks didn't pursue him, instead, he fell back, flying away to put some distance between him and Mato.

Trunks looked bewildered, he was breathing heavily, his breath visible, and had a hand gripping his chest. "Whats... going on...?"

Pan's eyebrows furrowed and she turned to Goku. "Grandpa?"

"Trunks is losing energy way faster than he should be," murmured Goku.

Pan gave a start and looked at Trunks, stretching her senses out. Holy shit, she hadn't been paying attention to that! Grandpa was right, Trunks had easily lost over 30% of his power since he hit his peak not to long ago. The heck? Trunks had barely started fighting serious. Mato on the other hand hadn't appeared to have lost anything. In fact, Mato's power was steadily building... almost as if...

"Wait, is he draining Trunks' power somehow?!" asked Pan, incredulous.

Trunks and Mato resumed fighting, trading blows back and forth. With Pan's senses on watch, she noticed that each time Trunks and Mato touched, Trunks power dipped a tiny amount, and Mato's increased. It was hard to notice in the middle of a fight with power normally dropping due to exertion. Ugh, it was just as bad as that Phage lady. Pan sighed to herself, in her opinion it was a cheap way to win, stealing power from one's enemy.

Trunks didn't last much longer. Mato barely fought back, merely blocking and taking his time sapping Trunks strength until the young man suddenly dropped out of Super Saiyan 2, clutching his chest, struggling not to collapse. With that, Mato slugged him across his face and floored him to the ground. Trunks shivered, as if he were freezing, and was unable to get back up. Thirty seconds later, Mato was declared the winner and a frustrated looking Trunks returned to their Dimension area.

"Dammit, once I went Super Saiyan 2 it was like I was freezing the entire time," grumbled Trunks, "I just started losing power and getting colder and colder. I don't get what he was doing."

No one offered up any ideas. In truth, Pan had no idea how someone could just leech off someones power. She had heard about the androids Grandpa had first fought way back when, but, Mato was clearly a living, breathing Saiyan. Not to mention, the cold thing Trunks mentioned was confusing as well. Outside of her family, there were a lot of other fighters starting rise up in this tournament that Pan was thinking she might not stand a chance against. It was a nagging reminder to her that she still had a LONG way to go until she was strong enough to matter in a serious situation.

"Next! Groana from Dimension 8 against Unga from Dimension 9!" announced the Grand Priest.

Pan watched one of the Dragons and another a third demoness enter the ring before losing interest. She had been initially interested in the dragons and thought they were cool, but their power was disappointing.

She turned to Goten. "Hey, are they still giving food out outside the arena?"

Goten shrugged. "Maybe? Go check."

Pan walked out, spotting a few stalls with strange looking vendors behind tables, she walked up to one, "Hey there."

"Greetings, please take and enjoy the food," said the Vendor.

"What would you recommend?" asked Pan.

"Greetings, please take and enjoy the food," said the Vendor.

Pan frowned. "Umm... but what would you recommend?"

"Greetings, please take and enjoy the food," said the Vendor.

Pan rolled her eyes. "Seriously?"

"They're god constructs, they were only created to serve food, don't bother talking to them," said a voice behind her.

Pan turned to see an angel approach and load up his own plate of food. "Mmm, I so enjoy events like this."

"What's a god construct?" asked Pan, grabbing a plate and starting to pile food on it.

"A god construct is an artificial creation of a god created for a singular purpose. They lack personality and *crunch crunch*, ehum, and any information that was not infused within them," explained the Angel, munching on food the entire time.

Pan gave him a disapproving look. "Creating people just to do menial tasks like that? Thats slavery..."

The Angel shrugged. "They not really people, they're soulless temporary constructs, it shouldn't honestly matter. Anyway, enjoy your food."

Pan furrowed her eyebrows, not liking what he said, but decided to drop the subject and started walking back towards her dimension area.

"Groana is the winner!" shouted the Grand Priest as Oan walked back into the ring area.

"Next! Would Son Goku from Dimension 1 and Vadaka from Dimension 3 please enter the ring!" shouted the Grand Priest.

Goku's eyes lit up with eagerness. "Oh man! I get to fight one of Beerus's race! I wonder how strong they are normally without being a god."

They flew to the ring, moved to the opposite ends, and waited for the Grand Priest to shout, "Begin!"

Like she did last round, Vadaka started licking her paw and cleaning her face.

"You know, shouldn't you do that kind of thing before the...," began Goku.

Vadaka dissipated and reappeared behind Goku, attempting to strike the back of his neck, only for Goku to spin and block it, "...the match begins?"

Vadaka grew amused. "Well, your much stronger than my last opponent. I might have some fun here."

Goku smirked, started glowing red, and then shouted. "Kaio-Ken times ten!"

Goku and Vadaka disappeared, reappearing high in the air and began trading blows back and forth. Pan crossed her arms and watched her Grandpa fool around, growing a little annoyed. Then again, Vadaka didn't look like she was fighting seriously either. Vadaka suddenly stopped fighting, spinning around and wagging her tail playfully.

"Catch me if you can!" teased Vadaka.

Goku rolled his eyes and played along, flying after her for a minute before he suddenly shouted, "Kaio-Ken times twenty!"

Goku burst forward, caught her tail, spun around, and threw her towards the ground. Vadaka placed a hand forward, touched down on the ground, and threw herself into the air, a purple aura of power raising around her.

She wagged a finger back and forth. "Tsk, ruining my fun. Someone should be punished."

Goku dropped out of the Kaio-Ken and went Super Saiyan. "Ready to get serious now?"

Vadaka smirked. "If you so wish it."

Vadaka thrust a fist in his direction, unleashing a shockwave. Goku dodged and returned with a Kamehameha wave. Vadaka batted it aside, holding out a finger to release a thin beam of energy. Goku ducked under it, wincing as it blew through a huge chunk of his hair.

"Ahh man! Not my hair!" whined Goku.

Vadaka surged forward and drove a knee into Goku's chest. He winced and flew back. He rubbed his stomach, smirked, and disappeared, reappearing behind Vadaka and launching a kick at her shoulder. It hit and send her sprawling head over heals through the air. Vadaka momentarily lost her cool, turning to glare at Goku before re-composing herself, her tailing flicking back and forth with agitation.

"Hmmm, what was your race again?" asked Vadaka.

"Saiyan," replied Goku.

"Saiyan huh, interesting," murmured Vadaka, "You seem fairly powerful. I wonder how strong others of your kind are."

"Umm... well there have been plenty fighting here," said Goku, a little confused.

"Oh? Hmm, I wasn't really paying attention," said Vadaka with disinterest.

Pan heard a chuckle and turned her head to see Beerus watching the fight with a glint of amusement. She turned back in time to see the two fighters go at eachother again. Vadaka was putting on a lot more speed now, dancing around Grandpa's attacks. Pan eyes darted around as they dodged, swerved, and attacked one another rapidly. They rushed at one another, connecting fists that sent a shockwave through the air. They separated and flew back from one another.

"Hey, you mind if I try something risky?" asked Goku.

Vadaka raised an eyebrow and shrugged. "If you want."

Pan rolled her eyes. "What's he doing now..."

Goku landed on the ground and stretched briefly. "I saw my granddaughter do this once, not sure how good of an idea it is for me to try it."

A red aura started overlapping with his yellow one. "Alrightttt here goes nothing!"

Pan's eyes went wide. "Is he seriously...?"

"Kaio-Ken!" roared Goku, twin auras exploding around him, his power rocketing.

Goku immediately cringed and clutched his stomach. "Ooooh wow, that burns. Okay, this needs to go fast."

Goku surged forward and drove an elbow into Vadaka's forehead, sending her flying. Goku flew after her, attacking quickly and rapidly, his power starting to tank as he did so. Goku two-handed smashed Vadaka to the ground before he suddenly lost his Kaio-Ken and Super Saiyan aura. He fell to the ground afterwards, clutching his stomach, blood leaking out of his mouth.

"Owww," moaned Goku.

"That idiot," muttered Vegeta.

Fortunately for Goku, Vadaka was knocked out cold. The round ended thirty seconds later and they were healed. Goku came back to their area a moment later.

"Grandpa you dummy! Why in the world did you use Kaio-Ken with regular Super Saiyan?" demanded Pan.

Goku shrugged. "Well, I wana get better at using the Kaio-Ken again. Decided I'd try out using them together to see how it feels. Booooy does it hurt, and that was only a base Kaio-Ken."

Pan rolled her eyes. "Honestly Grandpa, your impossible sometimes."

"Tee hee, thanks!" said Goku.

Pan gave him an evil eye. "That wasn't a compliment."

"Now! Son Gohan from Dimension 1 and Bolter from Dimension 7 please enter the ring! This will be the last fight of Round 2 as there is no other fighter to pair against Odianna from Dimension 2, granting her a bye victory," announced the Grand Priest.

Pan turned her head to look at Odianna, she didn't seem to care. She turned back and watched her dad and an Arcosian enter the ring. She felt a little bad for that Dimension. Bolter was their last active participant, everyone else had been knocked out already, and dad sure wasn't going to lose. It was a little funny and sad in her opinion, Dimension 5's humans were going to have a fighter get to round three when the Arcosians weren't. Owch, that had to be a blow to their pride.

"Begin!" shouted the Grand Priest.

Gohan ended it immediately, powering up and driving a fist into Bolter's gut before he could transform. Pan nodded with approval, at least someone else in their Dimension didn't fool around. Thirty seconds later, he was declared the victor.

"Now, we will grant the fighters and spectators another thirty minute break between rounds! Please take your time to rest, eat, use the restroom, and talk amongst yourselves," offered the Grand Priest.

"Ooooh more food!" shouted Goku.

"Grandpa, you JUST ate before the start of this round!" exclaimed Pan.

Goku shrugged. "So? Using the Kaio-Ken and Super Saiyan together really burned a lot of energy. I'm STARVING again!"

Pan rolled her eyes and shook her head. "Whatever..."

Pan moved to the front of their area, staring at the ring. Round three was coming up, thirteen fighters remained... and Coli was one of them. The thought reared its ugly head to the forefront of her mind once more. She found her hands trembling in anticipation for some reason. She stared down at them, feeling a little confused. She hated the Saiyan to be sure, but, why was she obsessing over it so much? The thoughts had really picked up at the start of the round and was starting to alarm her. She was suddenly unsure if she should actually want to fight Coli. What if she lost control and went to far? So long as someone took Coli down a notch it would be good enough, right? It didn't have to be her. The chances of them fighting after all were slim... the chances... the... chances...

 _You are going to fight her next round..._

Pan started to grow dizzy. Fight her... next round...?

 _You know it to be true, you can feel it..._

Yes... Pan slowly nodded. She didn't know how, but she knew Coli would be hers next round.

 _You'll have the chance for revenge against the Saiyan for murdering your friend..._

Revenge... but wait. She wanted to beat the ever loving shit out of that Saiyan, and had even promised to do so for Aideen, but now that she thought about it, Grandpa wouldn't approve of her fighting for revenge... none of them would...

 _Why resist? She murdered your friend, tore out his heart, and wiped his blood on her armor... that must be punished..._

Punished...yes... shouldn't she be the one to make her pay...?

Pan winced and reached up a hand up to rub her forehead, feeling a headache starting up again. Why in the world was she getting so many brief headaches all of the sudden? What was going on in her head?

"You okay Pan?" a voice asked.

Pan blinked and rubbed her eyes, turning to see her dad giving her a curious look. "Y-yeah... I just have a headache."

Pan moved to sit against the wall next to the hallway entrance. "I'm... just going to take a quick nap. Maybe that'll get rid of it. Wake me up when the next round starts."

Gohan raised an eyebrow. "You think you'll be able to get any rest with all the noise going on?"

Pan shrugged and grumbled before closing her eyes. "I'm gonna try..."

* * *

 _Author's Notes:_

 _Small steps corrupt, bonus points if you know where that saying came from. ^_^_

 _Towa's working her magic on Pan, let's see how things turn out for our unfortunate hero. Will Pan overcome Towa's upcoming trap? Or will she fall into it? Find out next time on Potara: A Sorrow Beyond Divinity!  
_

 _P.S. : I also might have poked fun at DBSuper keeping Goten and Trunks from seeming to age for so long. :P_

 _ **Also** : Shoutout to __bobamon for the review he gave last chapter. It was well typed out, thoughtful, and is exactly the kind of feedback I look forward to getting, focusing on strengths and weaknesses seen in my writing that I can use to improve upon._


	42. Round 3

_**Potara - Chapter 42: Round 3**_

Pan gave a start when someone shook her shoulder. "Wakey wakey Pan!"

She opened her eyes to see Goten staring down at her and offering a hand. She took it and let him haul her up.

"Round three starts in two minutes," said Goten.

Pan nodded and did a mental check of herself. Slightly below average, not feeling good, not feeling to bad. Could be worse, at least she didn't have one of those headaches at a moment. Not bad for a roughly twenty minute nap.

She pursed her lips and moved to stand next to her Grandpa, eyeing the ring. Thirteen fighters left, almost all of them were strong Super Saiyan 2 tier or greater, or had some nasty technique like the ki poisoner. The chances of her making it through this round wasn't guaranteed, depending on who she fought...

 _You will fight Coli..._

Pan rubbed her forehead, feeling a headache start up again. Even IF she fought Coli, that wasn't a guaranteed victory. She didn't know the upper limits of that Saiyan's power. She would never give up, especially against that woman, but she knew better than to just automatically assume she'd win. She'd done that against Kojin the first time they met, and she knew perfectly well how THAT encounter ended.

 _But you will win, you will crush her, break her, rip out her heart just like she did to your friend..._

Pan's eyes closed, an a vivid image of that exact scene filled her mind for a moment. She blinked rapidly and shook her head, banishing it and trying to shove the memory of it down as far as she could. She felt shame; Gods, if Grandpa knew what she was thinking, he'd shun her. What was WRONG with her? These constant thoughts were starting to make her feel nervous and jittery.

The Grand Priest spoke up from high above the arena. "We now begin round three! Would Son Gohan from Dimension 1 and Majin Xuu from Dimension 10 please enter the ring!"

Pan's eyes went wide and shot to her father. He had a serious expression on his face as he turned his head to study the Majin as he moved to the arena. The Majin returned the look, appraising Gohan in turn. The moved to opposite ends of the arena and waited.

"Hmph, lets see if your brat can do the deed and actually beat a Majin instead of letting it win this time around," Vegeta jabbed at Goku.

Pan rolled her eyes.

"Begin!" shouted the Grand Priest.

Gohan's translucent aura exploded in size, his power shooting up to his normal maximum power without god ki. Pan felt a little surprised, she had expected him to go straight for god ki and end it right away. Giving Majin Xuu a chance to use his magic was risky.

The Majin gave Gohan a curt nodded. "Impressive power, you, will be a good challenge."

Xuu clenched its fists and its muscles pumped up in size. A dark pink aura of power exploded around it. The Majin's ki kept growing and growing until it came close to matching dad's power. Finally, just a bit under him, its ki leveled off. Damn... this thing was no joke.

"I've been waiting for this," said the Majin calmly, "I've been waiting to fight a formerly absorbed. I have accepted either of the brats, but I'm pleased to have you instead."

Gohan gave a start and then narrowed his eyes. "How'd you know?"

Xuu smirked. "I could feel it. I could feel the impression in your ki, the faded touch of a Majin subverting and taking your power for its own. Tell me, how was it? To be crushed and assimilated into a greater being?"

Gohan glared at him. "Crushed? Hardly, I was sneak-absorbed because the Majin we were fighting was to weak and cowardly to beat us, hardly a greater being."

Rather than rise to the bait and grow angry, Majin Xuu simply smirked. "Oh? Is that so? Well than I give my kin credit, they did well to even the odds by absorbing you. Though it would seem in the end it didn't work out. Tell me, how did it die?"

"Ever heard of a spirit bomb?" asked Gohan.

Xuu threw his head back and laughed, his head tentacle swinging wildly. "You must be joking."

Gohan assumed a fighting stance, one fist out front, one fist behind. "No, I'm not."

Xuu slowly shook his head. "What a disgrace. Perhaps it was for the best such a weak Majin had been destroyed. To have been bested by that technique, pitiful."

Xuu did not assume any kind of fighting stance. Instead he merely tilted his head and raised an eyebrow at Gohan, waiting for him to make the first move. Time seemed to stretch on for a few minutes, enough for Pan to start feeling a little jittery on her father's behalf. She wished dad would just go God and end the fight right away. He hadn't bound himself to Grandpa and Vegeta's bet after all. This Majin had magic, and while she had never directly fought that, she knew it was dangerous.

It happened so fast Pan almost missed it. She sorely wished she was in Super Saiyan 2 when the fight started, it would make keeping up with the battle so much easier. One second Gohan was there, then, his afterimage faded and he reappeared behind the Majin, swinging in a heavy kick for his head.

And the Majin caught the attack. Easily. He spun, swinging Gohan around and around, before throwing him off with graceful ease. Pan's jaw dropped. The Majin MUST have absorbed someone obscenely skilled, because he had bested her father's attack as if the man were an amateur.

Gohan righted himself and floated midair, a frown on his face. Pan could see the wariness in his eyes and knee the question he must be asking himself: ' _Should I go Super Saiyan God?_ ' It was obvious just from that moment that if they fought at this level, victory would not be guaranteed for her father. Yet, why even bother risking it? And what was with that super determined look crossing his face right now? Surely he couldn't be seriously...

"He can't afford to mess around, he needs to go god, now," murmured Pan with disbelief.

"Hmph, so you lack any faith in your father's skills?" chided Vegeta, "Just like in the timeplanes."

"Yeah, well I was right back then, Cell was way to much for him," retorted Pan.

"Do you truly not believe in your father, grandbrat?" asked Vegeta.

Pan glared at him. "That's not it! I just..."

"It's fine Pan," interrupted Goku, his eyes not leaving the arena, "He's not going god because this is personal for Gohan."

Pan frowned. "Personal?"

"Super Buu almost took everything from him, from all of us, and this guy is a mirror image of him," murmured Goku, "He killed Chi-Chi, Videl; absorbed, ate, or murdered everyone on earth..."

There was no more time for words as Gohan took the offensive. He rushed forward and began exchanging blows with Xuu. They collided with fists and arms and legs, breaking off momentarily only to resume, rising into the air as they did so. Gohan drove a fist into and through the Majin's stomach, only for it to seal over his arm, trapping him. Xuu gave a heart rush and flew downwards, dragging Gohan with him and then spinning and releasing him, launching Gohan into the ring floor, hard. Gohan hit and rolled, charging and releasing a kamehameha wave that blew Xuu's head off.

The Majin healed and smirked at him, wagging a finger. "Tsk tsk, if I hadn't been a Majin that would have killed me."

Gohan narrowed his eyes. "I know just what your capable of taking. So long as I don't obliterate your entire body, this doesn't end until I beat the fight out of you."

Xuu grinned wickedly. "I can't say the same for you. Your body is so easy to BREAK!"

Xuu blurred and moved faster than Pan could follow, appearing infront of Gohan and driving a knee into his chest. Gohan's eyes bulged and he wheezed. Xuu wrapped his head tentacle around Gohan's neck, lifting up and partially strangling him as he began to punch his stomach over and over again. Gohan finally put up a defense, raising a knee to block a hit. He raised a hand, coating it with ki, and severed the head tentacle from Xuu's head, breaking free and tossing it off him.

Xuu regenerated and rushed forward, uppercutting Gohan's chin and sending him reeling back. But Gohan spun as he was hit, taking his leg and tripping Xuu. He recovered and rushed at the unbalanced Majin, driving an elbow into his face and sending him staggering back. Gohan rushed forward, placing two hands together over his head, stopped point blank, and thrust them forward.

"Masenko-HA!" roared Gohan.

The ki burst hit the Majin dead on, blowing through and disintegrating through his chest, causing the Majin to cry out in alarm. Gohan didn't relent. He started punching and kicking the temporarily devastated Majin, trying to deal as much damage as he could. Gohan spun and thrust a foot up, hitting the Majin's chin so hard his neck stretch and his head shot back like a baseball, the rest of his body following suit. The Majin's legs turned to jello and wrapped around Gohan's before the rest of his body could leave. Gohan gave a cry of surprise as he was dragged along through the air. The Majin recollected his body as his lower half arrived with Gohan, cocked his fist, and SLAMMED it into Gohan's face so hard there was an audible crack as Gohan was thrown like a rag doll.

Pan winced at the impact. Oh man, he had to have broken her dad's cheekbone with that one. Jezz...

Gohan hit the ground and sprung off it, hand clutching the side of his face. "Tssssss!"

Xuu roared with laughter. "I admit, that hurt a bit, but considering I can regenerate I think in the end I got the far better end of that exchange. Hows that face feel?"

Gohan glared up at him, fuming, he cupped his hands to his side, "Kamehameha!"

Strangely, instead of firing the beam off, he brought his hands out infront of him, pouring the energy wave into a large sphere of energy. Pan's eyebrows furrowed, what was he doing? Gohan put his hands into the sphere and pulled it apart, holding one split sphere in each hand. He rushed up and charged at the Majin, spin kicking and forcing a block. He spun again and backhanded the Majin's face with one of the Kamehameha spheres, causing it to explode and disintegrate Xuu's head. He then thrust the other sphere into Xuu's chest and it exploded as well, sending the Majin flying

Pan raised an eyebrow. "When did he learn to do THAT?"

Goku smirked at her. "You know, your not the only one who trains and comes up with new techniques or new uses of old ones."

Gohan rushed forward while the Majin was incapacitated and laid a beat down that made Pan proud, pounding fist indents into almost every part of Xuu's body. Gohan give a final roar and slammed the Majin into the ground before releasing another Kamehameha wave at his body, causing it to explode and send Majin goop everywhere. Xuu wasn't quick to regenerate, it took him a good twenty seconds to do so, and his body was still bruised. He looked PISSED when he finally pulled himself together.

Xuu glared at Gohan. "You damn misbegotten wretch! How dare you!"

"Whats the matter Xuu? Not so confident now are you?" said Gohan, a smug smirk on his face.

Veins bulged on Xuu's forehead, rage coating his voice. "Confident? BOY, I'll show you confidence!"

Xuu bluured and closed the distance, driving a fist into Gohan's gut and throwing him all the way back to collide with the ring barrier. Gohan winced painfully, looking a bit dazed. Xuu rushed forward, throwing another fist, only for it to collide with the barrier as Gohan recovered and dropped down out of the way, putting two fingers to either side of his head as he did.

"Solar flare!" shouted Gohan.

Blinding light shined out, stunning the Majin. "What the hell?!"

Gohan flew up and slammed a fist into the Majin's gut once, twice, a third time, and one heavy fourth time, sending him screaming through the air. Gohan closed the distance, not letting up, and drove an elbow into his face and then beat him down through the air and to the ground.

Pan whistled. "Way to go dad! Keep it up!"

The Majin didn't even have time to regenerate as Gohan kept laying into him, hitting any area of Xuu's body that he could. So long as he could deal damage, it didn't matter where he dealt it. Pan could feel the Majin's power steadily tanking with each hit.

"ENOUGH!" roared the Majin, a barrier of energy exploding out of him to knock Gohan back.

Xuu slowly and shakily rose to his feet, breathing heavily, his body slowly, very slowly, healing away its bruises. But healing damage sure didn't heal ki, only drained it even more. Pan smirked, they had been close before, but the power difference was much higher now. Dad had a clear advantage now. She felt relieved, there was no way the Majin could win now!

"Dad's got this in the bag," said Pan with glee.

"Hmph, someone's sure singing a different tune now," said Vegeta with amusement.

"Ah man, this brings back memories, right Trunks?" said Goten.

Trunks nodded. "Yeah, I just wish we could have brought Gotenks into the tournament for a rematch instead."

"Bad Buu losing! Yaaaay!" sang Buu.

Goku however made no sound, watching the battle, and the Majin critically. Pan eyed him with confusion before turning back to the fight, doing the same. The Majin was weakened, bruised, and battered, but he did not look afraid or defeated, not yet, in fact, there was a deadly serious look in his eyes. Pan pursed her lips and grew silent, taking the hint from Grandpa. The Majin looked like it had something up its sleeve.

Gohan rushed forward again, and Xuu rose to meet him. Gohan threw a fist forward, only for Xuu to catch it, and did the same with the other, with similar results. There was a sudden look of victory and glee on Xuu's face as the Majin whipped his head tentacle around and pointed it right at Gohan's face.

"CANDY BEAM!" roared Xuu.

Pan was mortified as her father gave a startled scream and was transformed into a Tootsie Roll. "No way!"

Xuu caught the Gohan-Tootsie-Roll and laughed maniacally. "What was that about confidence, BOY?! There's more to fighting than brute strength and skill! Sometimes, a well placed spell wins the day more than the most powerful ki blast or hardest punch."

Xuu brought the Gohan-Tootsie-Roll into his mouth and bit down, starting to chew, a wicked gleam in his eye. Pan gave a horrid squeal of fright as Xuu spit the Gohan-Tootsie-Roll out of his mouth and to the ring floor a few moments later. It looked crumpled, chewed, and ruined. Xuu aimed his head tentacle and released a beam of magic, turning Gohan back to normal. He laid there, looking completely and utterly broken, blood, bruises, and limbs bending the wrong way.

Pan couldn't bear to look at the sight of her father and turned away tearfully. _Oh gods_ , _oh gods_ , it was awful. She trembled, unable get the image of Xuu chewing on Gohan-Tootsie-Roll nor her broken father's body out of her mind. Dammit dad, WHY? Why didn't he just go God? Why put himself, why put her through that?!

 _You see? This is what happens when evil is not thoroughly punished... make sure to not make that mistake with Coli..._

Pan brought a hand up to clutch the side of her head, trembling, a headache starting again. Gods, she did not need this right now, she could barely stop herself from flipping out as it was. She did not need crazy thoughts on top of all of this at the moment. Despite how much she tried to hold it in, she couldn't help but whimper aloud in mental agony.

Goten put a hand on her shoulder. "Hey, he'll be okay, don't worry Pan."

"Hmph, looks like he couldn't...," began Vegeta.

"Don't," warned Goku, an angry look in his eye.

Vegeta went silent, glaring at Goku, but choosing not to finish his sentence.

Thirty seconds later, Xuu was declared the winner and Gohan was healed. Gohan sat up, disbelief on his face, before it turned to frustration and a bit of shame. He wordlessly rose to his feet, walked to their area, and walked out of the arena. Pan started to follow him, wanting to giving him some kind of comfort, before Goku put a hand on her shoulder.

"Give him a bit to cool down Pan," said Goku softly.

Pan hesitated before glumly nodding and staying put.

"Now! Would Mato from Dimension 2 and Vegeta from Dimension 1 please enter the ring!" shouted the Grand Priest.

Mato and Vegeta flew to the ring. Mato looked bored and irritated, his usually wide eyes sullen and half closed. It took Pan a moment to recover and push the image of her father's destroyed body out of her mind to focus on the fight at hand. She recognized all of the sudden why he was looking like that. He had been ordered to throw the fight by his Emperor, and didn't look like he wanted to.

"Begin!" shouted the Grand Priest.

Unlike the last Saiyan to fight the prince, Mato did not bow, he merely glared at Vegeta, eyes half open. Vegeta didn't seem bothered by it, rather, he had a look of understanding on his face and shrugged. Mato smirked sadly at that, looking a bit more at ease after that. The two of them turned Super Saiyan 2 and started fighting it out. Pan barely paid attention to the mock fight and waited patiently for Vegeta to 'win'.

After Vegeta 'won', the Grand Priest announced the next match, "Now! Would Odianna from Dimension 2 and Phage from Dimension 5 enter the ring!"

Pan's eyes went wide with glee. YES! Immortality totally trumped ki poison. Scooooore! She watched with satisfaction as Odianna and Phage strode into the ring and walked to opposite ends.

"Begin!" shouted the Grand Priest.

The fight ended much faster than Pan thought it would. She thought Odianna might try to outskill her opponent, outwit, or maybe catch her offguard. Instead, she closed the distance instantly, took Phage's head in her hands, and snapped her neck with one fluid motion. Odianna's hands started blackening immediately with ki poison. However, Phage was the one on the ground unable to move, her body paralyzed. It reminded Pan of how Odianna had fought the Super Saiyan 2 back on Terra, she had let him drive a fist right through her chest in order to catch him offguard and end it. She was more than willing to abuse her immortality to her advantage in order to win a fight.

Odianna was declared the winner and Phage was healed. With that, Dimension 5 joined the other Dimensions that had been knocked out of the tournament.

"Now! Would Nach from Dimension 2 and Groana from Dimension 8 please enter the ring!" shouted the Grand Priest.

The two walked into the ring and moved to opposite ends, turning to appraise one another. Groana gave him a seductive wink, and Nach grinned in response.

"Begin!" shouted the Grand Priest.

Nach turned Super Saiyan 2, his grin widening. "I hope your ready baby. The might and pride of the Saiyan race is a _bit hard to take in_."

Trunks coughed and gagged at that. Goten hid a snicker, while Vegeta snorted. She gave them a curious look. What in the world were they having a fit about? She played the words out in her mind before something Bra had once teased her about was suddenly brought to the forefront of her mind. Her face turned beat red. EWWWW, groooosss! He was making an innuendo like that in the middle of a tournament? Sick... bad images... very bad images in her mind...

To her chagrin, the Demoness didn't call him out on it, instead, she approved, her voice almost a purr. "Oh yes my big strong man, I'd imagine it would be. You could please me greatly."

Ewww, from bad to worse over and over again.

Groana aimed a hand at him, dark, black energy pulsing out from it. "Do you know what would please me even more? You forfeiting the match."

Nach froze all of the sudden, a weird look on his face.

Groana's voice purred again. "Come now my champion, would you not forfeit this match for my pleasure?"

There was a dazed look in his eye, as if he were not fully there. Something wasn't right, it was almost as if... oh... OH... she was hypnotizing him!

"I... I... f-f-forfeit the m-match," stammered Nach, his voice sounding off.

The Grand Priest raised an eyebrow, an amused look on his face. "Very well, Groana from Dimension 8 is the winner."

Groana snapped her fingers and Nach recovered. "Wait... what... WHAT?!"

There was a roar of laughter and mocking jeers from his fellow Saiyans back in the Dimension 2 area. Nach's face turned red with shame and then rage. He glared at Groana, who merely offered him another wink and a coy smile. Nach ground his teeth, powered down, and returned reluctantly, and shamefully to his area. Pan rolled her eyes at that, utterly shameful, on BOTH of their parts.

"Now! Would Son Goku from Dimension 1 and Mesh from Dimension 4 please enter the ring!" shouted the Grand Priest.

Goku rubbed his hands together. "Sweet! I get the ki swordsman!"

Pan rolled her eyes and watched him basically skip to the arena. So, there would be one more match this round after this. There were three fighters left, two would fight one would get the bye. Her, Kale, and... Coli... were the only ones left...

 _Coli will be yours to destroy..._

Pan's eyes dropped and she felt sluggish, another headache starting. Coli... hers...

 _Make her suffer..._

Suffer...

 _Make her scream..._

Scream...

 _Show them all just how powerful you really are..._

Power...

"Begin!" shouted the Grand Priest.

Pan shook off her thoughts. Gods... what the hell was going on in her head? Distress filled her mind, sweat rolling down her forehead, jitters trying to shake her limbs. She forced herself to try and focus on Grandpa's fight and drown out the dark thoughts. She turned her head briefly, turning to see her father re-enter their area, his face masked, showing no hints of being upset over his earlier loss. She turned back around to see that neither fighter had moved yet.

Mesh slowly drew his sword and held it out infront of him, engulfing it with ki. Goku smirked, turned Super Saiyan, and held out a single finger. He funneled his entire aura and power to cover the finger.

Gohan snorted. "I remember this."

Vegeta smirked. "Ha! Reliving his first 'spar' against my future son? That clown."

Trunks gave him a curious look, but Vegeta didn't bother explaining. Goku and Mesh surged at eachother, sword and finger clashing again and again. Pan stared at the bizarre spectacle. What the hell was Grandpa doing? This was absurd... then again, Grandpa had a huge grin on his face. If he was enjoying the fight, might as well let him. God though, it was embarrassing to watch. Grandpa might have the speed, but there was absolutely no grace in his 'swordplay'.

Mesh parried a 'finger' stab and riposted, stabbing right for Goku's head; Goku ducked, but not fast enough to save his a lot of his hair, "Gah! Not again!

"Pfffff," cackled Pan, sighting what looked to be a buzz cut straight down the top of Grandpa's head.

Vegeta, Trunks, and Goten roared with laughter. Gohan merely shook his head, a bemused smile on his face. Goku shot Mesh a dirty look and went Super Saiyan 2, starting to outspeed Mesh and leave little finger cuts all over his body. Now that Grandpa was fighting 'seriously' with his finger-sword, it wouldn't last to much longer. She had to give Mesh credit though, despite the fact that Grandpa was pretty much mocking him by fighting like this, Mesh showed not an ounce of irritation or frustration. Finally, Goku swung a might blow and knocked the sword out of Mesh's hand. He rushed forward and put the finger up against Meshs's neck.

Mesh stared at him wordlessly for a moment before he grumbled. "I forfeit."

The fighter's were healed, and Goku's hair restored much to his relief, before they returned to their areas.

"Now! For the last fight of the round! Would Pan from Dimension 1 and Coli from Dimension 2 please step into the ring! Kale, having no other opponent to fight, shall receive the bye," shouted the Grand Priest.

Pan's eyes went wide, and her body went completely numb. They... they were going to fight, they were actually going to fight...

 _She's all yours Pan, enjoy..._

All hers...

* * *

Towa smiled maniacally, sighting the shocked expression on Pan's face. Now was the time. Pan's mental strength had been weakened after her father's brutal defeat, and through Towa's constant strikes. On top of that, her guard was completely and fully down at the shock of the match-up. She wouldn't understand nor detect what Towa was about to do. Towa felt along her anchors, deep into Pan's mind, and attacked. She battered Pan's mental fortitude, struck at her ability to restrain herself, broke her control, propped up her anger, fueled her hate, and ignited her bloodlust. Immediately she saw the change in the girl, as if a light-switch had been both flickered and ripped off the wall at the same time.

Pan's eyes narrowed; rage, and hate appeared on her face. Her body stiffened. She clenched her fists so hard that little beads of blood ran down her fist. Her ki, that steady hurricane, warped into a viscous storm for the first time since Pan had awoken from her coma a month ago. Towa smiled victoriously at the change, this was going to be _glorious_...

* * *

 _Author's Notes:_

 _Ut oh... Towa has sprung her trap. This might be bad for Pan..._

 _Groana VS Nach was a direct reference to Kat VS Kakarot in DBM, though this one ended differently. :wink:_

 _I've been writing this, and the next two chapters almost side-by-side. So expect the next two hopefully later today, if not tomorrow._


	43. Breaking Point

_**Potara - Chapter 43: Breaking Point**_

 _ **Warning** : This chapter will be **DARK** and bloody with a very bad event at the end. The faint of heart might want to run away..._

* * *

Gohan gave a start and looked at his daughter, confused and very alarmed at the abrupt change he suddenly felt in her. She blasted off, causing the rest of them to staggered back as she rushed to the ring and set down on the opposite end of the ring as Coli walked in. Pan stared at Coli with a malice in her eyes that Gohan had NEVER seen there before. Her ki after she had awoken from her coma had always been a steady maelstrom, but now it had turned into a violent and unpredictable storm. He could feel the rage roiling from her. He didn't understand, what in the world had just happened?

"Somethings wrong," said Gohan with alarm.

Goku nodded, a serious expression on his face. "Pan's off."

Goten and Trunks exchanged nervous glances. Vegeta crossed his arms and frowned, but said nothing. Gohan looked back at their spectator area. The others had noted it as well, all of the Z-Fighters were on edge, Videl looked like she was going to have a stroke. Piccolo especially seemed alarmed.

"Begin!" shouted the Grand Priest.

Gohan turned back to the ring. He had half expected Pan to throw herself at Coli in a blind rage. Instead, she appeared to be struggling with herself to hold back. He had a momentary surge of hope that Pan would reign in her fury.

"Why... did you do it?" asked Pan through grinding teeth.

Coli raised an eyebrow. "Do what?"

"Why did you kill Aneurin?!" screamed Pan.

Gohan went very still and exchanged glances with Goku. The look in both of their eyes said the same thing: Oh shit.

Goku looked uncertain and wary. "That Aneurin guy was a friend of Pans'. Aideen had told us one of them had killed him, but, it never even crossed my mind that Pan would get paired up with the one who did it."

"Guess that explains whats going on with her," murmured Gohan in mute horror; of all the situations Pan could be placed into, why this one?

Coli looked at Pan, a confused look on her face. "Kill who?"

Pan looked like she was about to lose it. "My friend! The one you murdered before coming to this tournament!"

Coli paused briefly before she grinned, a sadistic look on her face. "Oh? You were friends with that pitiful weakling? You know, he was one of my easiest kills. Did most of the work for me with that bastardization known as the Kaio-Ken. All I had to do was let him wear himself out and then he was all mine to play with."

Pan started to shake with rage.

"Tell me, would you like to hear what I did to him?" asked Coli, licking her lips slowly.

"You tore his heart out," Pan whispered with hate.

"Oh please, I did so much more than that," teased Coli with glee.

Coli slowly turned her head and gazed towards Dimension 5, and then towards Dimension 1.

"Hmm, perhaps I should give you a demonstration of just what I did, after the tournament. I already promised to burn that Dimension's human world, I could start there. Or, perhaps I should strike closer to home? That woman up there in the spectator area, is she by chance your mother?" asked Coli, pointing straight at Videl.

Gohan's own rage was immediately overwhelmed by his daughter's, it was radiating off her like a sun. If Pan's eyes could naturally change color without a transformation, he was sure they would have just turned blood red.

"Mmm, the things I'm going to do to that delicate little flower," said Coli sadistically.

Gohan lost all color in his face as he felt **_IT_**. He felt Pan lose complete and utter control of herself. He felt her turn into what he had always feared she would become after she first came home from the other Dimensions. Her ki roiled and raged, the look on her face warped with a hatred he had never seen before, her entire body was quaking. Bolts of blue lightning were crackling down her body despite that she hadn't even transformed yet. Her eyes shined with deadliness, there was nothing but death in them. Coli had already killed Pan's friend, and now she had just threatened her mother. Pan had snapped.

"You can't do anything to her if your dead!" roared Pan.

She ascended to Super Saiyan 2 with a scream of fury. Her aura erupted, lightning wrapping around her uncontrollably. Her power erupted far above what Gohan thought to be her normal maximum power. She had gone completely unhinged and had absolutely nothing holding her back. It was one of the most terrifying and painful things he had ever seen in his life.

Coli ascended to match her, powering up as fast as she could, a wild, eager look on her face. She had poked and prodded Pan to this, and appeared pleased with the results. Gohan felt nothing but pure and utter contempt for the woman. He... he might have just lost Pan because of her...

"We tried so hard this last month," despaired Gohan, "She'd come so far..."

Trunks frowned at him. "Hey! Give Pan a break! That Coli bitch deserves whatever is coming to her!"

Vegeta frowned. "One reaps what they sow..."

They didn't understand. He could see that only he, dad, and Piccolo understood just how bad this was. This was the mistake, this was the tipping point, the breaking point they had feared Pan might reach. He could see it in her eyes; Pan was going to brutally murder Coli in cold blood in the middle of a tournament that forbade death. Everything was going to go downhill from here.

Pan gave a scream of fury and burst forward, closing the distance in an instance and thrust her fist forward with such intensity the air cried out in pain. Coli barely dodged to the side, letting Pan surge past and slam her fist into the ring barrier behind Coli with enough force to make it ripple. Gohan closed his eyes in defeat. There was the proof: that wasn't a hard hit, that was an attempted killing blow, if it had hit, it would have punched right through Coli's body. He opened his eyes and met his father's gaze, both of them sharing their silent misery between one another.

Pan spun and unleashed a wave of ki from her hands, blasting Coli back and rushed forward, engulfing a hand with ki and backhanding her as hard as she could. Coli's face was ripped at the blow, drawing blood, and almost snapping her neck at the force of the blow. Coli sagged back, wincing painfully. Pan rushed forward and drove a knee as deep into Coli's stomach as she could before grabbing her head and slamming her own into it. Coli stumbled and fell to the ground, rolling as Pan tried to pounce and hit her.

Coli staggered away and flew into the air to gain a moment to breath. Pan began to fire a barrage of death beams, each one lethal. Coli dodged and parried them, burning her hands on contact each time, wincing painfully. Pan burst forward, closing the distance, and then two-handed smashing Coli to the ground. Pan pursued relentlessly, surging down and slamming a knee into the woman's back. Coli screamed in pain, rolling and bucking Pan off of her. Coli rose to her feet, rushed Pan, and uppercut her chin.

Pan staggered back and growled, a little bit of blood leaking out of her mouth. She bared her teeth and then ran at Coli, throwing a blow at her shoulder. Coli raised her arm to knock the blow high, spun on a foot, and slammed the back of her fist into Pan's face. Pan staggered past, anger and rage blinding her eyes. She spun and formed a Destruco Disk in her hand, swinging it at Coli like a weapon. Coli barley managed to pull back in time to save her life, but, not fast enough to escape unharmed. The disk sliced into her armor, leaving a visible red line up from her stomach to her collarbone that started leaking blood. Coli gave a cry of agony at that and clutched a hand over the middle of the line.

She swore and flew back as Pan rushed at her again, swinging the Destructo Disk in a failed attempt to cut her in half. Pan pursed, the Destructo Disk held behind her back, and flung it at Coli. Coli turned and kicked the flat of the disk, batting it into the ring barrier. Pan closed the distance before Coli could right herself and drove a knee right into Coli's crotch. Coli's eyes bulged with agony, but it didn't end there. Pan grabbed Coli's arms, pulled her down, and bit down right into Coli's neck, her head winging back and forth trying and succeeding in ripping a chunk out of her neck. Coli screamed and slammed a fist into Pan's face, knocking her back. Pan spit a chunk of meat out of her mouth, blood running down her face, a near mad grin on her face.

Gohan brought up an arm to block his mouth, resisting the urge to gag. "Gods..."

"Remind me never to threaten Videl," murmured Trunks uneasily.

"Bro, dad, this isn't...," began Goten, but stopped, unable to find the right words.

Gohan glanced back, sighting a grim look in Piccolo's eyes. There was no warmth or hope there. They exchanged glances, and Piccolo's eyes read: ' _I'm sorry, but I told you this would happen_ '. Gohan eyed his wife, she had a hand over her mouth, horror on her face. Everyone else looked ill or wary. Bra wasn't even watching anymore, staring down at the ground, tears in her eyes. Gods, this was demoralizing to watch.

Pan wiped the blood off her face and glanced down at her bloody Gi sleeve. Suddenly she paused, looking her Gi over. "Huh."

"Wait a second, this isn't right," said Pan.

Gohan had hope for a moment, before Pan pulled off her Turtle Hermit Gi and tossed it to the ground, revealing her Fox Hermit Gi underneath. "Much better, does this look familiar to you, witch? It's the same Gi as Aneurin, and it'll be the last sight you see."

Gohan watched Pan's Gi hit the ground with a thud. For some reason... this above all else... hurt to see. Pan had treasured that Gi beyond everything else. Treated it almost as if it were a person, with tender love and care. Now? She had just tossed it aside like it was nothing... what had happened to her? Just... when had things gone so wrong? Not even ten minutes ago Pan had been fine. Now it was like Pan was lost in herself, wasn't even aware of where she was or what she was doing. He hoped and prayed the Gods would interfere since Pan had announced her intentions, but they stood back and watched. She hadn't broken a rule yet, they wouldn't intervene unless she did.

Rather than looked frightened, scared, Coli had an almost equally mad grin on her face and mocked Pan, "Oh? So you share a poor taste in clothing with that weakling? Pfff, hahahaha."

Pan's eyes twitched, and her anger rocketed. "Laugh while you can, bitch."

Gohan watched in disbelief, was Coli being serious right now? She was getting her ass kicked and she was STILL egging Pan on? Gods, that woman was acting... acting almost like he envisioned Pan might act if she turned down a dark path... Gohan closed his eyes painfully. For as much as Pan hated her, Coli was exactly what Pan was going to turn into. He stared at his daughter, not sure what to feel. He expected anger, sadness, bitterness, but, he simply felt disappointment. Not with her, but himself. He felt like he had failed her.

Pan cupped her hands to he side. "Super..."

Blue energy shined out of her hand.

"Kaaaameeehaaaaaaaa," began Pan, her body glowing bright blue.

Coli tensed and grew still preparing herself.

Instead of aiming at Coli, Pan aimed up into the sky, "Meeeehaaaaa!"

The energy wave surged into the air. Pan clenched her fists over the energy wave and pulled down, causing it to ripple, rupture, and exploded. The entire ring was bathed in energy, torching both Pan and Coli, knocking them to the ring floor. Pan was the first to recover, rushing at Coli and kicking her up into the air. Pan caught her leg as she flew up, and then flew down, smashing Coli into the ground. She placed a foot on Coli's knee, fired a death beam through her knee joint, and TWISTED her leg, snapping it. Coli gave a pained cry, but Pan did not stop. Her aura started flaring uncontrollably. She started pulling, trying to rip Coli's leg off.

Coli ground her teeth, twisted her body, and unleashed a blast of ki, forcing Pan to let go. Coli flew into the air, massaging her broken leg painfully. She still didn't look alarmed, in fact, she looked pleased, very pleased. She flew down at Pan and slammed a fist into her face, sending the girl stumbling. Pan barley reacted to the pain, recovering immediately and throwing herself at Coli. Slugging her across her face and knocking her to the ground. She straddled Coli's chest, pinning her down, and rained down endless blows on her opponent's face, turning it into a bloody mess.

Finally, Coli caught a fist and twisted, rolling over as she did to throw Pan off of her. She rushed to her feet and at Pan, cracking a fist across Pan's face. Pan staggered away, anger radiating out of her. Coli tried again, aiming for an eye, only for Pan to catch the blow, pull her hand down, and bite down into it, trying to make a repeat hole like the one in Coli's neck. Instead, Coli unleashed a blast of ki into Pan's mouth, causing the girl to let go and staggered back, coughing, smoke rising out of her mouth.

Coli flew forward and two-hand clobbered Pan, sending her flying. Pan corrected herself, stopping her hurtle. She aimed a finger and unleashed a death beam at the charging Coli. The woman tried to dodge, managing to instead take the beam through her shoulder instead of her forehead. Coli crashed to the ground, cringing.

"It ENDS!" screamed Pan.

She burst forward, her power churning. She kicked Coli into the air and then threw her hands out to her side, gathering energy. She aimed them up into the sky.

 _Ripple! Pulse!_

Pan gave a mad cry of hatred and threw her hands down towards the ground, "JUDGEMENT!"

A giant energy beam rained down from the sky, hit Coli, carried her to the ground and exploded. Gohan had to shield his face from the bright light. When it faded, Coli laid on the ground, bloody, bruised, battered, leaking blood everywhere. Her armor was shredded, and she had dropped out of Super Saiyan 2. Pan walked over and stared down at her, grinning wickedly.

Coli started laughing, coughing up blood as she did. "Y-yes! YES! Show it to me! Show me your worth as a Saiyan! Show me that your just like us!"

Pan snarled at her and aimed a finger, ready to blow a death beam through her head...

And then she froze... standing there as still as a statue, shock and horror creeping over her face...

* * *

Pan's her heart stopped for a moment, her hate and rage faded, and she suddenly became very aware of herself and what was going on as Coli's words echoed through her mind...

 _"Y-yes! YES! Show it to me! Show me your worth as a Saiyan! Show me that your just like us!"_

 _"Show me your worth as a Saiyan! Show me that your just like us!"_

 _" **Show me that your just like us!** "_

Pan looked down Coli in disbelief, staring into the psychotic Saiyan's eyes... and... saw a reflection of herself in them. All the color in Pan's face drained away, and her hand started trembling. Oh gods... oh gods... she WAS acting just like them, like _HER_! She had been about to murder the Saiyan in cold blood in the middle of a tournament. She recognized that Coli... that Coli was what she could grow up to be like. It hit Pan like a Super Kamehameha Wave. It was like staring into some kind of twisted mirror...

* * *

 _Piccolo turned his back on her. "Is it? Pan, we don't fight to 'end' people. We will kill if we must, but our goal is to defend those we care about and better ourselves in the process. Not kill our enemies and mindlessly chase power. Goku might be more merciful, Vegeta and I might be less forgiving, but all three of us have the same goal. If you can't honestly see the difference between your reasons and ours, then you lost your way and don't even deserve the power you have at your fingertips now, let alone the power of a god or that green energy. If you keep on this path your walking, you'll end up worse than Freeza, Black, Zamasu, or any of the other villains we've encountered. I can only hope you realize this before you make an irreversible mistake."_

* * *

 _Goku took a deep breath and let it out. "But beyond that, Pan, a lot of the times when you'd spar when you got first got back home, and sometimes when you talked, your ki would feel dark, bad."_

 _Pan looked at him in disbelief._

 _"You could act so viscous, whether it was sparing, or talking, it made everyone scared, not of what you were, but what you could become," explained Goku, "And when you basically tortured the Cell junior to death, it was really bad and..."_

 _"I did not torture it!" she defended, "I beat it to death and finished it with Judgement so it couldn't regen..."_

 _"Pan," Goku said sternly, "I was watching that entire fight. You crushed it into the ground and 'licked your lips' at the sight of its beaten body. You said you 'forgot how good it feels to beat the crap out of scum like you', said you didn't care about killing it. Pan, that's not something a good guy does or says..."_

* * *

Pan cracked, and recoiled at the memories. She lowered her hand, banishing her death beam, and took a step back. Coli stared at her in confusion, but Pan made no other move except to bow her head in shame. This entire fight, she'd been fighting like an animal, like a bloodthirsty Saiyan. There had been no honor, no purpose in it except brutality and revenge. She closed her eyes, a tear sliding down her face. Piccolo had been right... she... she had been just like _them_. Piccolo was right, she was just like those villains...

Pan felt hollow and empty all of the sudden, feeling nothing but a dull pain inside her chest. She dared... she dared not look towards her Dimension's area. She knew what she'd see, the disappointment, the rejection on the faces of her friends and family's faces. Was it... was it already to late? Would they even want anything to do with her anymore after watching this bloodbath? Was she... alone? Oh gods... the thought hurt so much.

If she was alone... then did it matter what she did anymore? Her eyes twitched at the thought. Should she just kill Coli and get it over with? She was already damned in her own mind, and probably damned in her family's eyes. Pan slowly raised her head and looked at Coli. Their eyes met, and Coli's confusion turned to pure, raw, fear for the first time. Pan didn't know what the woman saw in her eyes, but if it terrified that psychopath, then it couldn't be good. Pan didn't really know what to make of the reaction. She should have felt something, but, she just felt so empty right now.

She struggled to push through that empty feeling and think. If she was alone, then no ones else opinion mattered but her own. So what was it then? What did she want to do? What did she want to be?

She stared at Coli, watching the woman stand up and assume a defensive stance, finally; after another minute, Pan made her decision and spoke with a dull, empty tone, "Do you know what I wanted to do to you, Coli? I wanted to break every bone in your body. I wanted to test how many death beams you could take before you died. I wanted to rip you limb from limb."

"You said I was like you, like the others. You shouldn't want that, because if I were like you, I'd be so much worse," continued Pan, her voice dark and breaking, sounding like some kind of twisted sob.

She closed her eyes for a moment before sighing. "But, I don't want to be like you."

Pan blurred and disappeared, reappearing behind Coli and chopping at the back of her neck, knocking the woman out cold. Pan powered down and stared at the woman quietly. She had hoped she might feel something for making that decision, but, she felt just as cold and empty as she did before.

Did she honestly deserve to feel anything else? The thought hit her painfully. She had betrayed her family, her Grandpa, in that fight, fighting like that. Who was she kidding? She had turned her back on their teachings, turned her back on everything they had been trying to do for her this last month, no, ever since she had first come back home from the other Dimensions. She was just like the other Saiyans, a monster. She was alone. Did she deserve to feel anything after such a betrayal? Did she even deserve to live?

Pan's eyes dimmed, and a sad, twisted smile appeared on her face at the thought. Yes... that was the right thought: did she deserve to live? That was the question, oh yes, _hee hee hee_ , that was the question. Her eyes twitched a bit, and she heard the Grand Priest announce her victory, but the voice sounded so far away. Pan turned towards her Dimension's area and started walking. The faces of her friends and family looked blurry. She thought they were talking to her, saying something, but she didn't hear them. They were probably condemning her, so what did it matter what they were saying? She already... she already knew they didn't want her anymore...

* * *

Gohan smiled and exchanged relieved glances with Goku. She had done it, gods, she had pulled herself out of that mess in the nick of time. He had all but given up, expecting Pan to just murder the Saiyan right then and there, but against all odds, Coli's own words seemed to unintentionally snap Pan out of her mind-numbing rage. It had still been a _very_ close call, but she hadn't crossed the line. He still wanted to have a nice, long chat with her about what had happened, later after the tournament, but, for now, he was very pleased, and very content.

He felt a surge of pride at his daughter as she neared, "I know that took a lot of strength to do Pan, you did good. I'm proud of you."

Pan said nothing, a weird blank look on her face, and walked passed them.

"Umm Pan?" asked Goku, "Shouldn't you go get your other Gi out of the ring?"

Pan kept going and disappeared into the hallway.

Gohan and Goku exchanged glances.

"Hmph, give the brat some alone time," said Vegeta dismissively.

Gohan nodded reluctantly. "Yeah, she probably needs it after that."

He frowned momentarily, turning his head to watch the hallway his daughter had walked down. For some reason... he felt a unsure all of the sudden. Something still felt off about Pan... almost worse than before... it was unsettling and twisted at his stomach...

He shook his head to banish his feelings and flew into the ring to pick up Pan's discarded Turtle Hermit Gi before walking back. "I'll give it to her when she comes back..."

* * *

Towa knew something had gone terribly _wrong_. She had initially been PISSED when Pan had refused to kill Coli, but her rage had faded when she detected an abrupt destabilization in Pan's mind. All of her hooks and anchors in the girl's head were breaking away, as if what they had been holding onto was crumbling.

Towa had looked at Pan, seen the sad twisted look on her face, the empty, despairing look in her eyes, and paled at the sight. She had tortured enough mortals to recognize that look of final despair and desire for escape anywhere. Had she chipped away to much at Pan's mental fortitude? Had she weakened her control to a point she shouldn't have? Had she pushed Pan to far, to fast, and to hard? Should she not have pit Pan and Coli against one another?

Towa silently cursed herself. How could she have been so stupid? She hadn't even considered this could happen, when it truth breaking her prized tool should have been a concern on the forefront of her mind. Pan was a twelve year old mostly human girl, there were limits on what she could take. FUCK! Towa knew she had just ruined her own plans, she had gotten to greedy and damaged the girl's psyche to a breaking point by pitting the mentally weakened girl against this situation. That look on Pan's face, she knew what was about to happen, and she couldn't interfere without revealing herself.

Shit, shit, SHIT!

* * *

Pan walked past her former family and friends and out into the hallway that led out of the arena. She turned down the hallway and spotted a bathroom. She walked in, no one else was there. She walked up to a mirror and looked at herself. She looked utterly pitiful, it filled her with pain and disgust to even look at herself. Pan curled a fist and slammed it into the mirror, shattering the glass. She glanced down at the broken pieces and picked up one.

She stared at it blankly for a time. She felt so alone... so worthless... so pained... she just wanted it to stop. No matter how much she struggled these last few years, everything just kept going wrong over and over again. Her failure by fighting Coli like that... she'd never be worthy of being her Grandpa's granddaughter, always being a disappointment to herself and others; she'd never be able to protect people... she had failed so many times already... had been responsible for people's deaths... had helped to murder entire timeplanes at the word of a god... and even led to the death of a dear friend...

Pan choked out a pained, agonized word, "Bata..."

Pan closed her eyes, lowered her ki as much as she could, put the glass shard to her wrist, gave a horrid pained sob, and tried to drag it along. She grew confused when her hand didn't move. She felt some kind of pressure holding her back.

"You. Fucking. Coward." a hateful voice hissed in her ear.

Pan opened her eyes, seeing someone's hand grabbing her wrist and stopping her from cutting open her vein. She turned her head and saw Odianna, in her base state, glaring at her, pure raw fury on her face. Odianna grabbed the glass shard out of her hand, threw it, and then backhanded Pan across her face, sending her to the floor.

"What is wrong with you?" demanded Odianna.

Pan looked up at her wordlessly for a moment before she burst into tears, unable to stop herself from completely breaking down...

* * *

 _ **Author's Notes** :_

 _Towa done screwed up good._ _(Does a suicide attempt make this M instead of T?)_

 _Anyway, hate me if you will:  
_

 _I thought initially this was going to be just a wake-up-call chapter for Pan as a follow up to the 'Power and Shame' chapter. Where that one identified her problem, this one would let her experience, acknowledge, and overcome it, coming out as a stronger hero for it. She'd go back to her family, get their 'proud of you' praise moment, and move on. Towa hadn't even been planned to be in the tournament to mess with Pan when I had first started writing this arc...  
_

 _Then I remembered that_ _I'm a heartless wretch who set out to make Pan's life a living hell and never-ending struggle. I remembered I'm not an author who lets their characters have the nice path out. I went the dark route, had Towa screw with Pan's mind, and incurred a shocking, mind numbing event for Pan. She overreacts to be sure, and beats the hell out of herself inside her head, but again, she's a 12~ year old girl who was sheltered from the darker side of life and then went through one hell of a bad ride for awhile, and has had to deal with issues brought on by herself, her family/friends, and one conniving demon witch!  
_

 _On the other hand, now we've got Odianna to " make it all better!" :eyeroll: _

_Lets see how this turns out! Next chapter will be my first time trying to write from Odianna's perspective, and will give growth to both her and Pan._


	44. Little Girl Lost

**Potara - Chapter 44: Little Girl Lost  
**

 _Warning : LONG trip down memory lane with a lot of 'the feels' moments.  
_

 _Second Warning : Mind break/warping, Pan's changing._

* * *

Odianna looked down at the sobbing child before her, perplexed beyond belief. She had watched Pan fight a bloody and savage battle and, she had to admit, she had been impressed by how much the girl had made that Saiyan suffer. It had pleased Odianna greatly to see Aneurin's murderer bleed.

But at the end, something just... _went wrong_. Back when Odianna had encountered Pan before the tournament begin, she had detected a strange difference in the girl's ki from when they had last met. Her ki felt like a swirling maelstrom, it was strange, it gave off no feelings or emotion. But, at the end of the fight, she HAD felt something from Pan, a violent and unstable change to her ki that made Odianna feel unsettled. Then she saw that look on Pan's face and that emptiness in her eyes as the girl walked passed her proud family and friends. They had said they were proud of her, but she walked passed them like she didn't even hear or see them.

Odianna didn't know why, but, when the girl's family decided to give her some 'alone time' and did not pursue her, Odianna felt compelled to follow the girl. She had learned long ago to trust her intuition, and had obeyed it. She had gone down her own Dimension's hallway, crossed hallways, and then followed the girl into the bathroom. She had seen the girl smash the mirror, utter the word 'Bata' with a tenderness that made Odianna wince, and then to her shock, tried to kill herself.

In that split second as the girl put the glass shard on her wrist, Odianna struggled to decide what to do. She could freely admit to herself that she hated, and yet cared for the child at the same time. It was a confusing muddled emotional mess that she hated to deal with. It had been so much easier to just envision Pan as a treacherous, lying, Saiyan wench, but then she had talked to the child before the start of the second round, and found her illusion of the girl crumbling and reverting to what she used to think about the girl.

She wasn't honestly sure she could actually bring herself to one day kill the child for the Saiyan tainted bile flowing through her veins, but regardless of that, what Pan had been about to do felt _wrong_. She had been tempted to let it happen, surely the dragonballs could bring her back or the gods would just revive her. But, Pan's suicide attempt screamed _**DANGER**_ to Odianna. For some reason it set off every single danger sense in her body, mind, and soul, in a manner that she did not understand. She knew it wasn't some motherly instinct or because she used to be friends with the girl. For some reason, she knew that if the child died, something **_BAD_** was going to happen. It had been a sense of foreboding Odianna had never felt before.

She had stopped her, and now found herself at a loss of what to do with the child. Should she just leave her here? Maybe go get Aideen since they were friends? Go get her parents? She frowned at the ideas; the girl was a warrior, if she was seen like this, it would damage her. Odianna could respect a warrior's pride enough not to do that to the girl. Though, by trying to take the cowardly way out of whatever issue she was having, she didn't seem like much of a warrior at the moment.

She was also confused as to WHY it even came to this point. Why in the world would the girl try to kill herself? It made absolutely no sense to her. The girl had seemed strong and content one moment, then just snapped, then after the fight, she had just... broken. It was bizarre.

"Why...," whispered Pan.

Odianna broke away from her thoughts and glanced down at the girl. "Why what?"

"Why did you stop me?" Pan asked weakly, "You hate me... despite everything I did for you, despite that I would have died for you, died for Aideen, given my life in exchange for Aneurin's, died for the world of Terra, you hate me... so... why did you stop me? I don't... I don't understand..."

Odianna went cold at those words, it felt like a dagger had just been driven through her chest. She stared down at the child, who wasn't even looking up to meet her. There were very few things that could make her feel shame, and Pan's words were an echo of what Aneurin once said to her...

* * *

 _Aneurin turned to face Odianna. "Just let them go."_

 _Odianna looked at him in disbelief. "Excuse me?"_

 _"Beaten as I was, I was conscious to watch that fight. Pan might have been a Super Saiyan, but she was fighting for us! They tried to get her to join them, but she refused, you heard what she said, she's not like them. She was an innocent little girl who tried her hardest to help us, and you heartlessly tried to kill her," Aneurin said coldly._

* * *

Odianna flinched at the memory. She couldn't honestly find any good reason to justify trying to kill the girl, only her own petty bitterness. Bless his departed soul, Aneurin had been right, as much as she didn't want to admit it...

"Why didn't you just let me do it?" asked Pan bitterly, "I'm a failure... I'm always letting everyone down... always letting others get hurt, or die, because I'm to weak to do anything... I'm a horrible person... I'm just like the other Saiyans..."

Odianna furrowed her eyebrows and looked at the child with disbelief. What in the world was this trash flowing from her mouth? She frowned intently, more than aware she was missing a lot of information as to where this self-loathing was coming from.

Odianna wasn't unfamiliar with the notion of suicide or self-destruction, hell, she had tried a few times when she had lost herself enough to forget that she was immortal. She had also seen it enough throughout her life in others. Usually though, there were reasons for it. It just didn't come out of nowhere.

She wasn't honestly sure if she could, or should, try to do anything for the girl, but if she wanted to, she needed to know more. She hesitated briefly before she knelt down in front of Pan and put a hand on her forehead. She had used this technique to interrogate Saiyans before, but did her best to be less... brutally invasive... as she broke into Pan's memories. It was surprisingly easy, considering the girls mental state Odianna supposed that was to be expected.

She decided to get some background on the child as to whom she had been before coming to Terra. She started sifting through her memories, some of the earliest ones being around the age of four. One early memory in particular was incredibly vivid and powerful in the girl's mind, the moment her grandfather had given her a turtle hermit gi.

Odianna raised an eyebrow at that, seeing the little version of Pan pretty much flip out with glee at receiving the treasured gift. Well, guess that explained why Pan had such a strong reaction when she had received Odianna's old gi. She had unwittingly triggered a powerful memory and reaction. It was strange though, if this memory was so powerful, why had Pan discarded her Turtle Hermit Gi mid fight? That didn't add up...

Odianna kept on going, noting the child's early form and finesse. She couldn't help but scoff quietly to herself. The four to five year old version of Pan had been more in-practice and skilled than the eight year old one she had first encountered. Her lack of training, due to schooling as Odianna took note of, dragged her down considerably and...

Odianna froze, sighting a memory that went shivers down her spine. She temporarily forgot about Pan and focused on the memory: Son Goku used a transformation she had NEVER seen before. Long hair, no eyebrows, a deep voice, emitting power that the little version of Pan couldn't wrap her tiny mind around. What did they call it? She searched around a little to get her answer: Super Saiyan 3.

Odianna was livid. Every fucking time she thought she had reached a new pinnacle, the Saiyan race always caught up and surpassed her. Even with the training she had put herself through in the time chamber, mastering the Kaio-Ken in ways even the gods themselves had never imagined, she wasn't sure she could match this power. Her new trump card, she wasn't sure even that would be enough for Super Saiyan 3.

Odianna grumbled and then resumed her search, continuing on and...

She went numb, sighting yet ANOTHER new transformation. Blue, Son Goku and Vegeta were sparring in some kind of blue Super Saiyan transformation. What the hell was this? What was it with Saiyans and pulling new transformation out of their asses? What was this one? A minute later, she had her answer, and she couldn't help but be scared of it: Super Saiyan God. Both Son Goku and Vegeta had some kind of divine power. Son of a bitch...

Odianna did nothing for a minute, just trying to wrap her mind around the concept, before she slowly shook her head and resumed going through Pan's memories. Her early childhood seemed fairly typical, well, for a hyper-powered youngster. She seemed happy and content, innocent and pure in almost every sense of the word. Well, except for an annoying habit to whine every now and then. Thankfully the Pan she knew had, _mostly_ , dropped that habit.

Odianna studied the stories that Pan was told about her Grandfather's struggles and journeys. She could tell that they were somewhat truthful, but largely hiding important and critical details. She understood what they were doing, trying to shield the girl from the darker parts of the tales. She found that tactic distasteful, it did nothing to prepare the girl for the cruelties of life. What they did do however, between the girl and her Grandfather, did not sit well with her.

The girl's complete and utter devotion to her Grandfather, it was beyond family love, and Odianna smelt trouble with it; she idolized the man, it was borderline worship. Setting herself up to always trying to live up to her Grandfather's standards was a foolish notion that was bound to backfire. Everyone, every single person was a unique individual, even the Saiyans. Trying to break that notion, trying to live someone else's life as a second shadow, it was folly.

Finally, Odianna came upon how Pan crossed dimensions, and was dumbfounded. Son Goku, that complete and utter idiotic Saiyan. What the hell was he thinking with that wish?! Breaking an apparent barrier between dimensions and creating a portal with a wish from the Omni-Kings, who in the right mind would want that? Stupid moron, he probably just wanted to go butt heads with fighters from other Dimensions, it was an obvious Saiyan thing of him to do. This right here was another example of why she hated their kind.

Odianna gave a start when Pan finally spoke up, her voice timid and confused, "Why are you going through my memories?"

Odianna glared down at her. "Be quiet."

Pan flinched as if she had been struck and bowed her head. "..."

Odianna resumed and started going through Pan's time on Terra. She was surprised to see how quickly the girl turned towards self-destructive thoughts. She rolled her eyes when Pan made the mistake of comparing herself to her Grandfather, thinking that he could have saved the town's people in place of her failure. It was stupid, Pan hadn't even arrived in the dimension by the time most of the town's population had been murdered.

This was why she knew that Pan's idolization of her grandfather would backfire. The moment, the EXACT MOMENT things broke this little girl's ideal fantasy world where the bad guys lose and the good guys never suffered or just used the dragonballs to bail them out, she blamed herself, putting herself down and propping her grandfather up.

Sheltering people was the most idiotic thing in the world to do and was a complete and utter cruelty. It ought to be punishable by death. Odianna knew she would not stand a chance against Son Goku's god power, but if she ended up paired against him, she was going to do her best to beat the ever loving shit out of him regardless of the power difference.

* * *

 _Pan crossed her arms. "A month? No way, I'm my grandpa's granddaughter, there's no way it'll take me that long, I bet i'll have it at the end of the day!"_

* * *

Odianna resisted the urge to take Pan's head and slam it against a wall at that memory. Stupid idiot girl. Did she not remember the stories she had been told? Her Grandfather literally told her that it took him months to learn the Kaio-Ken while in the otherworld with King Kai. She did better than her Grandfather, why couldn't she see that?

She kept on going, growing more irritated as Pan faulted herself during her Kaio-Ken training for not living up to her Grandfather's expectations. Then, she came to the first attack post Pan's Kaio-Ken training where Pan's foolish action by trying to spare a Saiyan led to the deaths of three farmers. Odianna couldn't help but still be pissed at her, at least until she saw the girl's self-destructive meltdown while sobbing in a cave.

* * *

 _"I... I couldn't... I didn't save them... I... I killed... I murdered him... Grandpa... what have I done?" Pan sobbed, "Oh Kami... I don't even... I don't even know what hurts more..."_

 _She had sworn she would help these people, instead, she had just gotten three of them killed by not listening to Odianna. But... but... she had also broken her promise to Grandpa to never kill unless she had absolutely had to. She shivered, thinking of the shame and disappointment she'd see on Grandpa's face if he had seen what she had done. Or... or would he be more ashamed that she hadn't saved the farmers? She tipped over onto her side, and continued to cry, wishing that Grandpa was here instead of her, he could have saved the farmers and spared the Saiyan's life. She continued to cry until she cried herself to a pitiful, restless sleep..._

* * *

Odianna wanted to strangle the girl and yell ' _Forget about your damn Grandfather!_ '. Was she going to have to see this kind of crap through ALL of Pan's memories? Was this girl really going to keep eating away at herself like that? There was no good to come of this kind of thinking. All it would serve to do was damage herself.

Odianna gave a frustrated sigh, causing Pan to flinch at the sound, before continuing on to the where Pan returned and they left to bury the farmers. Odianna frowned as the memories started to suddenly become distorted, there was immense pain emanating from this one... that wasn't a good sign...

* * *

 _"Find a clear spot and dig," ordered Odianna._

 _Pan silently obeyed, floating over rows and rows of gravestones. Most of them didn't even have anything written on them. To have been buried here, lost and forgotten... it... it was awful. Slowly, as she searched and searched, her sadness started giving way to anger. This wasn't right, this wasn't right at all. Finally, she found a spot, set the corpse down, and started to dig with her bare hands. When she made a sizable hole, she gently put the farmer in it and buried him. She put a stone she had dug up infront of the covered hole and then stood up. She slowly levitated up into the air and began to fly through the forest, taking in the never-ending gravestones. Every single one of them she saw was a throb of pain in her heart._

 _Finally, she came to a stop and just floated there, unable to bear going further in. "Grandpa... I..."_

 _She looked down at the ground and sobbed. "I'm sorry... I can't... please... don't hate me... I can't let this go on, no matter what, I can't let this keep happening to these people. Even... even if I have to kill..."_

 _She clenched her fists and shouted in anger. "ITS NOT RIGHT!"_

 _"You told me, you told me everyone deserved a second chance!" she yelled._

 _"No one, no one who does this deserves a second choice," she said hoarsely._

 _"YOU LIED TO ME!" she screamed._

 _For a brief moment, so fast that Pan didn't notice, her hair flew up, a soft yellow glow illuminated it before it died down. She levitated there, trembling in anger before it gave way to self-loathing, and even a bit of resentment towards her Grandpa. Finally, she sank to the ground and knelt there, brooding in misery._

* * *

Gods, Odianna could remember thinking that this would be a wake up call for the girl. How little she understood about her young charge at the time. This wasn't growth, it wasn't breaking away from her Grandfather's shadow, it was a disastrous psyche damaging event. She could already start envisioning the repercussions this moment would have for Pan down the road.

"Pan... what the hell did I do to you?" murmured Odianna.

Pan looked up at her, confusion on her face, her voice timid, "O-odianna?"

Odianna looked down at the girl, and into her eyes, seeing nothing but pain in them. What had she done to this girl? What had the world done to her? She just looked so... what was the word? Damaged, yes, that was the word; damaged. The girl had given off an illusion of strength and stability earlier, but now, it was easy to see past it. What the fuck had happened to her? Did her family even have a clue to how bad off she really was?

Damaged. Fucking shit, she had helped to leave the girl like this. If Odianna wasn't going to hell before, she knew she was now, immortality aside of-course. She had forced the girl to turn against her teachings, destroyed her mercy, and turned her into a tool of revenge to be used against the Saiyans. Was crap like this why Master Kokatsune and Dina stopped talking to her through the Kais years ago? Had she driven them off?

Odianna gave a heavy sigh, and forced herself to let go of her hate for the girl. Regardless of what Odianna had done to her, could she honestly blame the girl for the Saiyan bile flowing through her veins? She wasn't even half-saiyan, only a quarter one. Pan had given everything for the world of Terra, showed herself worthy of her human blood.

Odianna knew she wasn't particularly skilled in the 'comforting someone' department, but, she leaned forward and wrapped her arms around Pan in a fierce hug. "I'm sorry Pan."

Pan sat there, rigged and tense, shock on her face, before slowly it faded. Pan slowly and fearfully wrapped her arms around Odianna, as if expecting some kind of attack or trap. When she completed her hug, Pan broke down again. She buried her head into Odianna's neck and started sobbing none-stop with relief. Odianna gave a small sigh and put her hand on the back of Pan's head, continuing to sift through the girl's memories.

She kept going, watching as her past self committed the sin of stripping Pan of her mercy and restraint, going on until she came to Pan's time in the time chamber. The memories started to grow shaky and painful to sift though again, and Odianna quickly started growing mortified when she realized why. What the hell...

* * *

 _An awful, awful idea invaded Pan's mind. If she could tolerate the extreme pain, then, she could boost her power very quickly. She fidgeted, it had hurt so much though. She struggled with herself for a time before slowly, her inhibition fell away and she quietly sobbed to herself. She couldn't let them down, she'd do whatever it took, there was an army of Saiyans coming, she didn't have a choice._

 _She cupped her hands to her side and began, "Kaaa-meee-haaa-meee..."_

 _She hesitated one final time before thrusting her hands forward. "HAAAA!"_

 _She twisted her arms and forced the kamehameha wave to turn and twist around, aiming straight for herself..._

* * *

"Pan... what did you do to yourself?" whispered Odianna.

Pan's crying intensified. "I... I did what I had to do... I didn't want anyone to die... I didn't want to let you, let them, let Grandpa down..."

Odianna kept a tight lip, watching as Pan destroyed herself over and over again in the time chamber, whether it was intentionally or simply by pushing herself far to hard past her breaking point. Gods, this training Pan put herself through was just as psyche damaging as the graveyard incident. It was sickening, the girl had thought she was pushing herself, but Odianna easily saw through that. The girl was subconsciously punishing herself the entire time.

Odianna grew confused by the end of it. There had been blood _everywhere;_ in the endless training area, the main room, the bedroom. She was sure by the time chamber session's end that Pan had bled out an entire body's worth over the duration. Yet, Pan had never had the mind to clean up. Odianna didn't see that when she had gone in again after Shin had removed the time limit, so how... wait...

Aideen. She had gone in first, she had obviously seen it and cleaned it up. But, she had never told Odianna, never told her what she had seen. Odianna felt a wave of guilt hit her, Aideen probably though she wouldn't care. She was unfortunately probably right at the time. She felt uncertain of something else all of the sudden: How had Aideen taken to that sight? How had Aideen actually felt about Odianna trying to kill Pan? No... there was no question on that, she KNEW how sickened Aideen must have been with her.

Odianna forced herself to move on from the thoughts. The between round-break wouldn't last forever, she needed to pick up speed. She sifted through the rest of the Terra memories quickly, only pausing to take note of one powerful memory, not a bad one this time, but of extreme strength...

* * *

 _Odianna nudged Aideen over a bit and patted the spot next to her. "Alright you, get over here."_

 _Pan smiled, she smiled a smile so big she thought her face was going to split. She flew over and sat down between them, feeling a happiness she hadn't felt for so long. It was so good to be with other people again... it..._

 _Aideen looked at her. "What's wrong Pan?"_

 _"I... I've just missed you guys so much," said Pan weakly, "Being alone in there was awful."_

 _Aideen reached an arm around her neck and drew Pan into a hug. "I'm sorry you had to go through that Pan, but, I have to admit, if you've become as strong as I think you've become, your far stronger than I am. I don't think I'll need to worry about you that much."_

 _Pan grinned sheepishly and hugged back. "Tee hee..."_

 _"How high can you take the Kaio-Ken?" asked Aneurin, "Aideen fights usually at a twenty, and can burst up to a thirty for a very short duration. How much more can you do?"_

 _Pan shook her head. "It's not possible to sustain higher than that. I can fight at a times thirty for a bit, but, going any higher guts my power instantly after one combo. Doesn't matter the level. I'm left completely drained and defenseless afterwards."_

 _Odianna nodded. "Then don't do it. Stick to a thirty, its more than enough to keep you alive and fighting. Just remember, try to leave the Super Saiyans to me, you could probably hold your own for a little bit, but don't get in over your head."_

 _Pan nodded. "Okay."_

 _They sat there, for a time, the four of them staring up into the night's sky, a gentle breeze blowing past them. Pan wished that she could stay there forever with them, in that single moment. For once, everything just felt so right to her._

* * *

Odieinna studied it, feeling a little perplexed. Why in the world was this simple memory radiating such power? Especially the end part of the memory, that moment rivaled any single memory that came before it. They were just sitting together, talking, and then silently looking up at the sky. It didn't make sense to Odianna. She shook off her confusion and kept on going, briefly noting how close Pan had been to revealing the truth of her heritage to Odianna, only for her to scare the girl out of revealing it.

Odianna then got her first taste of what an actual other Dimension was like when Pan woke up in 'Kojin's Monestary'. She was pleased to see another human race doing well for themselves. She was a bit grateful for this 'Bata' girl's antics towards Pan. The way the girl took time out of her day to be with Pan, to help take care of her, to fish Pan's treasured gis out of the trash, and repair them. 'Bata' left a warm impression, and found a sure fire way to worm her way into Pan's heart.

But, in the back of Odianna's mind, she already knew something was going to go wrong. The way Pan had whispered 'Bata' earlier, had been so tenderly, and filled with loss. Odianna started having misgivings about the same time Pan did in her memories...

* * *

 _"Abbot Sawa, it might not be her fault!" said Bata, almost if she were begging._

 _Pan noticed her tone and began to wonder if she was in trouble. It seemed silly, being in trouble for not being in some crazy, borderline stalker-ish, database. she knew doctors kept some kinds of records, but, everything possible being recorded in a person's life seemed sketchy._

* * *

Yeah... no... that was setting alarm bells off in Odianna's head. She kept on watching, her misgivings rapidly growing. When Pan learned of who Kojin was, Odianna figured, in a strange way, that Bata's world was just as bad as the world of Terra. Instead of being mercilessly killed, the human race was enslaved. Not exactly many steps up from complete genocide.

Without warning, Pan's memories blackened and became painful...

* * *

 _Her words died suddenly, Pan felt cold, as she looked at Bata's back. Her hand's shook as she drew a finger along various healed scar marks. Bata shivered a little bit and gave her a questioning look over her shoulder._

 _"Bata... what are these...?" Pan asked, not sure she could take the answer._

 _"Oh, I used to be a little rambunctious rule breaker when I was younger," explained Bata, "I got punished a lot."_

 _Pan clenched her fists, wrath overtaking her face. There was a brief cackle of power around Pan and sparks of energy. THIS is what Sawa had meant by punishment?!_

 _"P-pan?" asked Bata, suddenly frightened._

 _"And just how young were you?" asked Pan, her voice dangerous, "And what exactly did you do?"_

 _"U-um... well... when I was five I remember that I was so naive that I dared to call Lord Kojin foolish for one of his laws in front of Abbot Sawa," said Bata, appearing ashamed, "I got whipped a few times for that."_

 _Pan's eyes twitched._

 _"The next time was when I did a poor job on cleaning the training areas and complained about having to go back and...," continued Bata._

 _Pan stood up, got out of the tub, grabbed a towel, and left the room, unable to bear hearing another word. Pan sat on her bed and seethed, struggling to contain herself. Right now, she wanted nothing more than to fly through the walls, break down Sawa's door, and rip his head off._

* * *

Odianna wordlessly looked down at Pan, seeing the girl shaking and trembling at the memory. There was anger on her face alright, but beneath that, clear alarm and distress at reliving the moment. This was so much more than just righteous anger. It was damaging, to see a friend that had been harmed like that, a friend that was so similar in age to herself. It was a cruelty, and even more was the cruelty that Bata herself didn't see it as such.

Odianna continued on, watching passively up until the moment Pan first caught sight of Kojin. Then her memories started warping again, pain and fear radiating off it, and from the trembling girl in Odianna's arms. She recognized the signs right away that Kojin was stronger than Pan, and that Pan herself subconsciously knew it. Wait, what was Pan doing? Why in the world was she egging him on? Directly challenging him? She needed to buy time until she became strong enough to...

* * *

 _Lord Kojin looked like he was starting to grow annoyed. "If you refuse to bend a knee, then you will be punished."_

 _He raised a hand, but instead of aiming it at Pan, he aimed it at Bata. "Perhaps the death of your friend here would help you see reason."_

 _Pan lost it the moment ki began to form in Kojin's hand. "NO!"_

 _She let loose a scream of rage as her mastered Kaio-Ken faded and the yellow light of a Super Saiyan replaced it. Her aura exploaded, her hair spiked, and her eyes turned teal. She surged forward the moment the ki blast exploaded from his hand and bated it away moments before it could hit Bata._

 _Bata fell onto her back, shock on her face. "P-pan!?"_

 _"You sick bastard!" Pan screamed at him, her mind numb with rage._

 _She rushed at him, funneling energy down her right arm and threw it at his face with all her might..._

 _It hit..._

 _And didn't budge his face an inch..._

* * *

Odianna blanked for a moment. Okay... Pan did it, she straight up challenged an opponent who was vastly stronger than her without any kind of plan or trump card up her sleeve. It had been to save the life of a friend sure, but, that was disastrous. How the hell did she make it out of that alive?

* * *

 _Kojin ground his teeth. "It's a shame really, but, I know the only thing that will end your defiance... is death."_

 _Faster than Pan could follow, he surged forward and slammed a fist into her right rib-cage. Her eyes bulged as it crumpled, shattered, and tore apart the lung behind it. She screamed, blood erupting out of her mouth. He slammed a fist up into her chin, knocking her into the air._

 _She lost her Super Saiyan aura as she began to fall to the ground. Before she could hit it, Kojin caught her, grabbing her neck, grabbing a leg, and bringing her back down upon his knee. Pan lost all senses in her lower body as he crumpled her body in half, a kami awful snapping sound penetrating the air. He lifted her up, and tossed her limp body to the ground._

 _Pan laid there, twitching uncontrollably, pain, agonizing pain, rocketing through her._

 _Lord Kojin aimed a hand at her, a wicked grin spreading across his face. "Goodbye Pan."_

 _Grandpa... mom... dad..._

 _Lord Kojin unleashed a blast of energy, and completely erased Pan from the face of the world._

* * *

Odianna was mortified and looked down at Pan, who had started crying in earnest again. Oh gods... Pan didn't make it out of that alive. She died, she literally died, she had been brutally murdered for trying to stand up to a tyrant. Odianna held Pan tightly for a minute, not sure if she wanted to continue going on, or forcing Pan to relive the moments.

With a heavy sigh, she resumed, watching Pan's judgement, seeing the girl squirm in distress.

* * *

 _"But, you have a strong sense of justice, and know right against wrong. You saved your friend's life, you stood up against a tyrant's way of life, and sacrificed your life fighting evil," said Yanluo, "Though, not much came from it."_

 _Pan winced, she cringed at those words, how they hurt. Both times Grandpa had died, he made a difference. Her? She had bit off more than she could chew, she knew she brought on her own death by drawing Kojin to her and trying to take him on, and for what? Unlike Grandpa... unlike Grandpa she hadn't made a damn difference. Pan could do nothing but hang her head in shame._

* * *

Odianna growled, unable to hold herself back any longer. "Pan, you are an idiot."

Pan withered under her rebuke.

Odianna viciously scolded her. "Why do you keep comparing yourself to your Grandfather over and over again? There's no point to it, no purpose but to eat away at yourself. I want you to repeat after me: I am a twelve year old girl, eight back then."

"I... I am a twelve y-year old g-girl, e-eight back then," stammered Pan.

"My Grandfather, who is older, faster, stronger, and more experienced, with a GOD FORM hidden up his ass, is not someone I should compare every action I do with, nor base my entire life around him and his morals and judgements," said Odianna, her voice thin.

Pan looked up at her in disbelief.

"Say it Pan," said Odianna, her voice taking on a warning tone.

"M-my G-grandfather, who is o-older, f-faster, s-stronger, and mm... mm... more experienced, with a... a god form h-hidden up his... his...," Pan stammered and got stuck on.

Odianna rolled her eyes. "You can skip that word."

Pan looked slightly relieved and struggled to continue, "...is not s-someone I should compare e-every action I do w-w-with, n-nor base my e-entire life around h-him and his m-morals and j-judgements."

Odianna nodded curtly, studying Pan's face and eyes. The girl had a surreal look about her, as if she didn't believe what was going on was real. Odianna resisted the urge to slap the stupor out of her and resumed going through the girl's memories. She stopped suddenly at another jarring memory...

* * *

 _Cheikame tilted his head. "Super Saiyan? Is that the yellow aura, spiky hair thing?"_

 _Pan scowled. "Its a 'thing' of monsters."_

 _Cheikame gazed at her, and for a moment, his eyes flashed blue before it faded. Pan felt curious, wondering what he had just done. She didn't feel any different, nor did she detect any difference in him either._

 _"Monsters you say? Well, what have these monster's done?" asked the old man._

 _Pan narrowed her eyes, clenching her fists. "Murdered, slaughter, billions of people. Destroyed worlds, ended civilizations... they... killed my friends... innocent lives..."_

 _Cheikame nodded slowly, she was surprised to see him so readily accept her words without disbelief. "I see, tell me, can your family do this transformation too?"_

 _Pan blinked a few times, that was a very good guess on his part. "Yeah, me, my dad, his brother, and my grandpa."_

 _Cheikame studied her. "You seem to hold your grandfather in such reverence, so tell me, Pan, is your grandfather a monster?"_

 _Before Pan could stop herself, she was in Super Saiyan, and lifting the old man up by his throat. "DON'T YOU DARE! My Grandfather saved the Earth countless times! Saved the universe! Hell, he fought once to bring back eleven universes that had been destroyed! He's a hero that **NONE** of you can ever compare with!"_

 _The old man smiled, he choked out a few words. "But... he has... your Super Saiyan... power... so answer the question... is he a monster?"_

 _Pan froze, the question shattered her anger, and she lost her power at its words. She set the man down and looked away. S-she felt so shaken, had not an ounce of confidence in her own words and thoughts..._

 _"N-no, my Grandpa isn't a monster," she mumbled._

 _"Are you a monster?" asked Cheikame._

 _"No," mumbled Pan._

 _Cheikame put a hand on her shoulder. "Pan, its not the power, but the person. Your Grandfather did great things with it when others would have done great evil with it, have done great evil with it. Don't hate it, or people like you, just because the actions of others."_

 _Pan couldn't bear to look him in the eye as he spoke._

* * *

Odianna was... disgruntled with herself. If she had intended to make Pan hate herself, she had done a damn good job to get her into that state at that point. Thankfully, Cheikame seemed very wise, and helped the girl out. Though, having her viewpoints constantly shattered and shifted around was not something that should be happening so frequently. People needed stability in their lives, or they'd have nothing concrete to hold onto. However...

"I think your Grandfather is an selfish idiot unworthy of being called a hero, nor dedicating your life towards. If you flip out on me like you did on Cheikame, I will beat the shit out of you," said Odianna calmly, goading her.

There was a flash of anger in Pan's eyes before she restrained herself. Good, anger was good, it got her out of depression. Now, to continue...

She was initially pleased to see Pan make friends in the afterlife, however, that very quickly faded as she caught onto what was going on. Zeroes and Master Cheikame had poked and prodded Pan down the path of vengeance. Odianna watched it silently, seeing similarities between Pan's life and her own. Though, Odianna knew she had willingly walked down that road while Pan had practically been dragged down it. Still... it was disturbing to watch...

* * *

 _So be it, she had screwed it all up. She'd suffer the consequences of getting herself killed. She'd train, she'd kill Kojin's soul when he eventually died, then... maybe... she'd kill her own soul. She'd rather not spend an eternity without her family. Or, maybe she'd ask to be reincarnated instead, self soul-destruction seemed a bit extreme. Who knows, that battle was a LONG time off, she'd think about it again afterwards._

* * *

Odianna stared down at Pan, furious. She did not resist this time. She hauled off and smacked her across her face. Pan curled up and cried.

"Pan!" she shouted at her, "I am going to say this once and only once. Do not think about killing yourself, or your soul, EVER again. Are we clear? It is a COWARDS way out, and even though I don't respect him at all, what the hell would your Grandfather say? Would he ever take that way out? Well?"

Pan sobbed. "N-no..."

Odianna reached down and pulled Pan into a hug, letting the girl cry and try to steady herself. She waited a minute for Pan to quiet down before resuming. She hated doing this to the girl, but it had to be done.

She continued watching, slowly glowing alarmed by something she hadn't considered yet. Pan was... vaulting... leaps and bounds ahead in power and strength at an insane speed. Not even two years and the girl had gone from a weakling who couldn't take on a third class Saiyan to a Mastered Super Saiyan. This growth was abnormal, even for a Saiyan...

Pan's memories abruptly turned pitched black and painful. Odianna flinched, feeling backlash and resistance from Pan. Something was about to happen that she didn't want to relive.

"S-stop...," begged Pan.

Odianna gave her a stern look. "Pan, stop fighting it. That's an ORDER."

Pan flinched at the words. "I... I don't want to... I don't want to see her die again..."

Odianna leveled her gaze at Pan, staring her down until Pan finally broke her gaze and lowered her resistance. Odianna watched Pan be revived by Bata, and then have her friend murdered before her very eyes by Kojin. The maelstrom of emotions and pain was debilitating. Pan was raging and crying at the same time in Odianna's arms, distressed beyond words. It was a devastating moment for the child, and obviously one she tried to keep buried as hard as she could. That wouldn't do, it had to be confronted and conquered. She knew it was cruel, but, she replayed them memory over and over again, forcing Pan to relive it until the girl finally stopped crying, watching the memory with silent anguish rather than unbearable pain. Painful memories were okay, but not if they completely shut the person down.

Odianna wasn't surprised to see Pan go Super Saiyan 2, though she was still uneasy about her climbing to that power at that age. The way the battle ended though... using Super Saiyan 2 and Kaio-Ken together, gods that had to hurt. Beyond that though, the willingness to make that kind of sacrifice reminded Odianna of how much of a cruel bitch she had been to the girl who would readily make such a choice.

And she was reminded again not to much later when Pan was reunited and arguing with her father...

* * *

 _"Its true!" she sobbed, "I lost them all. Bata, Aideen, Aneurin, all the people of Haven..."_

 _Gohan paused for a moment, a hopeful thought coming to the forefront of his mind. "Well, you almost lost Aideen."_

 _Pan sharply pulled away from him and gave him a shocked look. "A-almost?"_

 _Gohan smiled. "We came to Terra a few hours after you disappeared from it. Aneurin was badly hurt, but alive, and that crazy Odianna girl was using her energy to keep Aideen alive. So, I offered a Senzu and..."_

 _He gave a startled yelp when Pan tackled him to the ground. "DADDY!"_

 _She buried her face into his chest, crying uncontrollably. "Aideen's alive, Aideeeeeen's aliiiveeee!"_

 _Gohan put his arms around her, rubbing her back gently. "Shhh Pan, shh..."_

 _Minutes dragged by, with nothing but the sounds of Pan's relieved cries filling the air. Finally, Pan got ahold of herself and pulled away, wiping tears from her eyes._

 _"I... I have to go back to Terra!" said Pan, "I have to help them!"_

 _Gohan winced. "Pan... you can't go back."_

 _Pan looked at him in disbelief. "Why?!"_

 _He shook his head. "Aideen told us to tell you not to worry about her, but, that you couldn't return or Odianna would kill you. She means it too, that crazy girl almost killed me."_

 _Pan frowned. "Odianna..."_

 _She clenched her fists. "I don't care if she'll kill me."_

* * *

Odianna pursed her lips; fucking hell, the girl cared so much for Aideen, and was willing to sacrifice herself for even the chance to help them; she couldn't stop herself from whispering, "I'm sorry Pan."

Pan had grown quiet with the memory, she slowly tried to pull her into a tighter hug. "It's... it's okay..."

There was an air of reality around Pan now. Odianna figured the girl finally figured out this wasn't a dream or illusion. It was nothing but cold, hard reality, and she was going to have to deal with.

"I'm going to keep going," warned Odianna.

Pan shook her head, her voice steadying. "It's... I'm okay..."

"To bad, your going to sit down and shut up while I finish," said Odianna crudely.

Pan snorted at that, a soft giggle escaping her lips. It relieved Odianna immensely to hear it. It was a good sign, a sign of stability. Having someone to just hold her and share in her pain did wonders for the child.

Odianna resumed going through the memories, she suddenly found herself disturbed by something...

* * *

 _"Dad... put me down, I can walk now," said Pan._

 _"Humor your father," was his only reply._

 _He winced and came to a stop when she squeezed his arm hard, using his own gifted strength against him. "I am not some weak little girl anymore. Put. Me. Down."_

 _"You've never been weak to me Pan," said Gohan._

 _She only stared up at him in silence, looking vexed. With a sigh, Gohan set her down. Pan wearily stood on her feet, her legs wobbly. One step at a time, she started forward without looking back._

* * *

Odianna frowned. Something wasn't making sense. If there was a time to have completely broken down and tried to kill herself, it would have been after Pan had lost her friend. Pan had thought about it in the afterlife, but she had never acted upon it. Yet, Odianna noted how strong Pan still seemed in these memories, how she kept going on so little.

Odianna figured there was far more to keep going through, but, if they were all like this, where had this suicidal breakdown Pan had gone through come from? The girl had emotional and self-destructive episodes, sure, but nothing to a suicidal degree. Something wasn't adding up...

Odianna stored the thought for later and kept on going. Before long, Pan was finally home, though, that moment of being re-united with her friends and family was PAINFULLY awkward.

"Your even worse than I am with people," murmured Odianna.

Pan snorted. "Am not!"

"Are to and you know it," countered Odianna.

Pan stuck her tongue out at Odianna, only to pull it back and giggle when Odianna leaned forward and made a biting motion towards the offending girl.

Odianna watched the next few memories pass with cautious optimism and reality, along with a bit of pain when Pan had a nightmare of Odianna murdering her. Gods, she really scarred the child. She toke note of how things were awkward and tense between Pan and her family. She could smell a boiling point and breakdown coming miles away...

* * *

 _Pan stared at Goku passively for a moment before she flinched and then her eyes narrowed. "Yeah, your to soft to be one of them."_

 _Goku went silent for a moment before he walked forward and offered her a hand. "There's nothing wrong with that. It takes a strong person to be willing to show mercy."_

 _Pan took the hand, and shocked him when she pulled herself up and slammed a fist into his face. He fell back onto his butt, staring at her in disbelief._

 _"That is what your mercy would have gotten you on Terra! Your lucky it was me, one of those Saiyans would have KILLED you if you offered them a hand!" Pan said with anger and desperation._

 _Goku opened and closed his mouth a few times, before he finally said,  
_

 _"It's the right thing to do."_

 _Pan stood up and yelled at him, "LIAR!"_

 _He looked at her, not understanding._

 _"I showed him mercy! I wanted to let him live! That Saiyan MURDERED three people when I did!" Pan yelled at him, "They died because of ME!"_

 _Goku winced, seeing tears well up in her eyes. Goku stood up, walked over, and hugged Pan._

 _"It's okay Pan, it's okay," he murmured._

 _"Its NOT okay!" she said hoarsely, "I-I s-saw it Grandpa, I saw it..."_

 _He grow confused. "Saw what?"_

 _She looked like she was trying to speak, but could only start to cry._

 _Goku hesitated for a moment before putting a hand on her forehead. "Show me Pan, show me what you saw."_

* * *

Odianna raised an eyebrow. Wait, Son Goku had done what she was doing now?

* * *

 _He stopped reading her mind and sighted a harrowed look in her eyes, hungering for approval; he wrapped her in a tight hug, and spoke softly, "I could never hate you Pan. You did what you had to do, and seeing that graveyard, they had their second chance already, a long time ago."_

 _Pan hugged him back fiercely, as if life or death, and began sobbing nonstop with relief._

 _Reluctantly, Goku put his hand back on her forehead. "Pan, I want you to show me everything that happened, from the moment you left, to the moment you got back. Okay?"_

 _Pan nodded and sniffled. "Okay Grandpa..."_

* * *

Huh, maybe Son Goku had a bit more to him that met the eye. She could give him some, _grudging respect_. Yet it was curious... if he had already done this, then there was no reason Pan should have been in such a state. She should have already come to terms with her memories... wait a second...

She kept on goin for a minute before she grew furious. "That fucking idiot."

Pan winced and grew confused. "Grandpa didn't do anything... why are you yelling at him."

"Because of exactly that! Big whoop, he listened to your memories, where the hell was the TALK?! He listened, said he didn't hate or blame you, bought you an icecream and CALLED IT A DAY AT THAT?!" said Odianna, livid beyond belief.

Pan hesitated, looking uncertain. "But... it meant so much to me, Grandpa usually doesn't do that sort of thing... he's kind of all fight-fight, not talk-talk."

Odianna snorted. "No shit. Expecting any kind of in-depth emotional support from a Saiyan, I can't believe I got my hopes up. Forget the respect I was starting to build for him. He lost it. You don't leave things like this half done. And YOU, Pan!"

Pan tensed. "Y-yes?"

Odianna narrowed her eyes. "Stupid girl, you should have talked to someone!"

Pan looked away. "..."

"If you leave things unresolved Pan, they will just eat away at you," she explained softly, "It's why I've always tried to remain set in my ways and my chosen path. I've accepted my life, come to terms with it, and embraced it. It does not haunt me like it does you. When I make a mistake or go through a difficult situation, I don't endlessly berate myself for it, I acknowledge and accept it before moving on."

She grew quiet for a moment. "That's why... I'm doing this now with you... I made a mistake by harming you, and I want to fix it."

Pan blushed feverishly. "I... um... it's okay..."

"It's not Pan, and you know it," said Odianna scornfully, "If you want to punch me through a wall afterwords, I ' _might_ ' let you."

Pan raised an eyebrow. "Yeah right."

They shared a warrior's grin before Odianna picked up where she left off. She knew she didn't have to much longer, maybe ten to fifteen minutes before the between round break was over. She flew through the next few years of memories. It was... pretty much nothing but training.

"Your more of a train-aholic than I am," murmured Odianna.

Pan snorted. "Sure."

Odianna paused when strange ripple in Pan's mind momentarily eclipsed Pan's memories. "What...?"

"The Demon Time Ring," whispered Pan uneasily, "That's when I was hit by that ripple effect."

Odianna frowned and sounded it out. "Demon Time Ring?"

She didn't like the sound of that and uneasily resumed. She grew very disturbed as she began to understand the nature of what was going on. Time travel, alternate timelines, timeplanes, Supreme Kai of Time, the Omni-King, _corrupting_ a ring that was supposed to allow travel between them. This was _**BIG**_ , this wasn't something a twelve year old girl should have been involved in. Hell, this wasn't something Odianna herself would have wanted to be involved in.

She got her first taste of an alternate reality, made nothing of it, got her second taste, and immediately disliked it. However...

* * *

 _"I'll deal with you in a moment 'Gohan'," said Goku, anger in his voice, "But first, I have something to say to the other me."_

 _The Other Gohan crossed his arms and began to tap his feet. "Make it quick, I have a sudden urge to kill you that I don't think I'll be able to suppress for much longer."_

 _Goku burst into Super Saiyan 2 and bum rushed the Other Goku, picking him up and slamming him into the ground. "WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU?"_

 _Pan took a step back in surprise. She... she had never seen Grandpa so angry in all of her life..._

 _"Chi-Chi told me what you did! You murdered innocent people because you were too much of a coward to fight Raditz!" yelled Goku._

 _The Other Goku said nothing, he merely averted his eyes, shame on his face._

 _The Other Gohan began to laugh. "Even another version of him knows how much of a waste of space he is. I almost don't want to kill him, he'd make such an improvement over the one on the ground."_

 _Goku ignored the Other Gohan and glared down at the Other Goku. "I'm not stupid. The only way my friends would have let you murder innocents was over their dead bodies. You betrayed them, you betrayed everyone! You let Gohan be twisted into that **THING** over there! How could you? How could you be so spineless?"_

 _"I... I had no choice... Raditz would have killed Gohan if I hadn't...," whispered the Other Goku weakly, "I did it for my family..."_

 _"Your family?" said Goku in disbelief, "Your family would have rather died than see you fall like this. I would have, and DID die, rather than let Raditz win. Your true son would have rather died than be turned into that beast."_

 _The Other Gohan spoke in a mocking tone, "I enjoy my life immensely I'll have you know. Slaughtering the heroic types you look to be is one of my favorite pastimes."_

 _Goku lifted the Other Goku up and pointed towards Gohan and Pan. "That over there is the life you could have had, a good man as a son, and a wonderful granddaughter."_

 _He then pointed to the Other Gohan and then the three Saiyans. "This instead is what you get, and what you deserve."_

* * *

That was... wow...

Odianna silently marveled at the memory. Pan saw the look on her face and nodded, but said nothing. There wasn't anything to say to it. It was something she could not refute, rebuke, or use against Son Goku. She grudgingly threw him some respect in her mind.

However... she couldn't help but grow bitter.

God dammit, why couldn't there have been good Saiyan's like Son Goku and his family in her dimension? God fucking dammit. Things might have been different if such a good, powerful, an influential family had existed in her dimension. Terra might have been left untouched, unspoiled...

She shook her head and kept on going, only to immediately regret it. Holy shit... that evil version of Pan's father, Son Gohan... that power...

* * *

 _HAAAAAAAAAA!" roared the other Gohan, half crouching, clenching his arms._

 _Pan staggered back and fell onto her butt as energy ripped out of the Other Gohan and skyrocketed. Her eyes went wide with shock and horror as his power continued to climb. It was enormous, Pan couldn't even wrap her mind around it. His ki was so far higher than even her father and Grandpa's were when they sparred without god ki._

* * *

By the gods... by the gods... that evil ki she felt... not even Rutabage could have compared to the waves of _**pure**_ _**sin** _ radiating off of that vile man. That power was gigantic... huge... incomparable. She would never have been able to match it. Even Son Goku admitted in the next memory that Super Saiyan 3 wouldn't stand a chance. Pan was shivering in her arms, radiating fear and unease.

Then, Odianna watched in disbelief as Son Goku went Super Saiyan Blue and _manhandled_ the Evil Son Gohan. "I'm so fucked in this tournament."

Pan rolled her eyes. "Welcome to my world of playing catch up."

Odianna kept watching, up until she encountered the a memory laced with fear, of a Saiyan named Bardock...

* * *

 _Bardock slowly shook his head and turned towards Pan. Rather than speak, he stared at her for a few minutes, appearing to mull something over._

 _He closed his eyes. "Pan, there are so many things I could say, things I could try to change, but... I think rather than give you a warning or a suggestion, I'll ask you a question."_

 _Pan felt curious, and a little wary at his words. "What is it?"_

 _"Would you sacrifice everything, even who you are as a person, if it meant standing up for what you believe in and, in your mind, protecting your friends and family?" asked Bardock._

 _Pan didn't hesitate. "Yes."_

 _Gohan stiffened, looking back and forth between Pan and Bardock before demanding. "Why ask that question Bardock?"_

 _Bardock shook his head, refusing to answer._

 _Pan crossed her arms, she had a hunch what he meant. "It probably means I'm going to die again at some point. Great, as if the first time wasn't enough."_

 _Bardock gave her a sad smile. "Just remember what your answer when the time comes to make that sacrifice. What happens isn't exactly what you think it will be."_

 _Pan refused to grow alarmed or show any signs of nervousness. "If your going to just tease it around me, don't bother. I'll just have to grab the dragonballs when we get back to get ready."_

 _Bardock hesitated for a moment. "Pan... not everything can be solved with the dragonballs."_

 _A solid lump formed in Pan's throat. W-what was he saying? That she'd die and the dragonballs couldn't help her come back?! Pan struggled with the thought as a wave of fear washed over her. S-she had died before without thinking she could come back, she could do so again! She wouldn't be afraid to face it! If it even came down to it that is, she had a warning now, and she'd make use of it._

 _"Well, when the time comes, I'll just have to try harder," said Pan dismissively, trying her best to sound brave and unaffected._

* * *

Odianna stared wordlessly down at Pan, who was starting to fidget and shake with anxiety. She tried looking brave, just has she had in the memory, but it was a lie that was so easy to see. Gods... who the hell would willingly hint to a little girl such a fate? He hadn't even given here any concrete information to try and change her future! Such a thing eating away at the back of someones mind, in their subconscious, that was dangerous. Everyone knew that they would someday die, but, to have it just laid bare at you like that...

Odianna tenderly pet Pan's hair, trying her best to comfort the child. Pan didn't respond, merely swallowing and closing her eyes. Odianna continued, watching the group face off against the bug man, Cell. The powers of a God of Destruction were a terrifying thing. But, the thing that was agitating her at the moment was Super Saiyan Blue and the Kaio-Ken. Unlike regular Super Saiyan and the Kaio-Ken, they worked together. Son Goku went times fucking thirty. There was 0% chance of her beating that. Shit...

She pushed the thought away, she'd deal with that later. She found herself _very quickly_ growing tired of the 'Towa' demon woman. Forcing the group of Saiyans to harm their own family from another timeplane was crushing to watch. She could practically feel the memory, feel the guilt, crawling and scratching at the back of Pan's mind.

* * *

 _"DADDY!" screamed Bulla, holding a hand out towards Vegetto._

 _Vegeta flew back to the group as the grayness of stopped time spread from Vegetto and engulfed his daughter and his friends and family, spreading to consume their entire world. Pan watched it all quietly, feeling horrific guilt trying to tear her apart. She could feel it in the other's ki as well, none of them felt remotely good after doing this._

 _To her; the scene; a dead Vegetto with his daughter on the ground nearby stretching a desperate, pleading, hand out to him, tears streaming down her face. Pan knew the image was going to haunt her for the rest of her life._

* * *

There was... nothing she could really say or do to fix that memory, Pan was right, it _**WAS** _ going to haunt the deep recesses of her mind until the day the girl died. "We... all do what we have to do to survive Pan. Nothing more nothing less. We simply have to try and live with ourselves afterwards."

Pan looked away, choking, trying to stifle a guilt ridden sob. Odianna did the only thing she really could do and simply hugged her again for the umpteenth time, wishing she had some better tool of comfort.

She continued on, watching the Saiyan Gods face off against the pinnacle of the Arcosian race. It was... a disastrous spectacle that put the notion in her mind that there were things actually WORSE out there than the Saiyan Race. She didn't have a clue how the hell the Saiyans pulled a win out of their ass after Pan fell unconscious.

A darkness began to creep into Pan's mind that made Odianna wince. There was a very bleak edge to the oncoming memory, and she watched it slowly and carefully. The gods, Zamasu and Black, they dominated the Saiyans with childlike ease. Pan tried to stand up to them and their beliefs, only to be dismissed with ease. Then the agony of her father dying hit the child and abruptly, the memory ended without resolution.

"The hell...?" murmured Odianna.

"You'll see, later on," answer Pan with unease.

Odianna nodded and resumed. She found it startling when Pan woke up six months later out of a ki coma unable to use most of her body. She had to give the girl credit though, she regained control and adjusted very quickly.

She disapproved of Bra and Piccolo's interactions with Pan. "Assholes, you just woke up from a coma, they should have given you some space and understanding."

"They were just worried," murmured Pan.

"And they could have worried from a distance," said Odianna with distaste.

Suddenly, she grew still...

* * *

 _"Pan, you killed Black and led to Zamasu's death," called down Vegeta._

* * *

Impossible, there was no way. She hesitated briefly before continuing on.

* * *

 _Pan nodded. "Agreed, you said I killed Black. HOW!?"_

 _"You blew him the hell up and literally tore the universe in half," was Vegeta's reply._

 _Pan scowled at him. "Stop screwing with me."_

 _"I'm not," said Vegeta, his tone deadly serious._

 _Pan stared at him, bewildered. "You... can't be serious..."_

 _"Pan, do you ever remember glowing green? Or using a kind of green energy?" asked Gohan._

 _Pan thought for a moment, searching her memories. "No, but... I do remember Bata told me when I first appeared in her dimension, I was glowing green."_

 _Gohan nodded. "And when you teleported yourself and I out of that dimension, you were also glowing green. At first, all I thought of it was that it let you move between dimensions. But... when you destroyed Cooler and pretty much killed him in a single hit..."_

 _"Wait, what?! Chronoa told me you beat him! And you guys went along with that?!" exclaimed Pan._

 _Goku scratched his head. "That was a lie, Chronoa wanted us to keep what you did from you."_

 _Pan was livid, but held her tongue. "Okay then, what happened with Black and Zamasu?"_

 _"You started glowing green shortly before Black killed Gohan," said Goku, "After that, the sky tore open like it first did when the portal to other dimensions was made, and green energy just poured into your body. You had a full on green aura, and it changed your eye and hair color."_

 _Pan nodded slowly. "So I killed Black with that power?"_

 _Goku shook his head. "No, not at first. Black started getting stronger, it was only after you went Super Saiyan along with using your energy that you won. Seeing what you did firsthand was... something else I'll tell you what."_

 _Pan turned to face him, walked over, grabbed his hand, and put it on her head. "Don't tell me, show me."_

 _Goku hesitated for a moment before he nodded and focused. Pan closed her eyes as his memories flowed into her head. She watched in disbelief as she took in the green energy and proceeded to dominate Black. She couldn't help but grow frustrated with herself when she screwed around and toyed with Black instead of killing him right away. Her eyes opened and went wide when she went 'Super Saiyan Green' and blew away Black and tore a green hole in the universe with one ki blast. She also felt a little scared of herself when she began to mutilate and butcher the immortal Zamasu over and over again._

* * *

It was strange, to watch shared memories through a memory, but, it was enough to get the point across.

"Super Saiyan Green," murmured Odianna with uncertainty and awe.

That power... it was... unreal... it went beyond the gods, beyond divinity...

She glanced down at Pan, seeing the uncertainty and fear of rejection in the girls eyes."Pan... what are you?"

Pan didn't reply, a worried and fearful look crossing her face.

Odianna. took Pan off her lap and set her on the floor infront of her. "Pan..."

"Y-yes...?" replied Pan timidly.

"You... are everything I could ever hope to become," said Odianna.

Pan blanked for a moment. "H-huh?"

"That power Pan, with it, there is nothing you cannot do, no goal you cannot accomplish, no wrong you cannot right," said Odianna with reverence.

Pan shook her head. "No... I'm not... I can't..."

Odianna furrowed her eyes and placed a hand on Pan's forehead to resume.

* * *

 _Piccolo turned his back on her. "Is it? Pan, we don't fight to 'end' people. We will kill if we must, but our goal is to defend those we care about and better ourselves in the process. Not kill our enemies and mindlessly chase power. Goku might be more merciful, Vegeta and I might be less forgiving, but all three of us have the same goal. If you can't honestly see the difference between your reasons and ours, then you lost your way and don't even deserve the power you have at your fingertips now, let alone the power of a god or that green energy. If you keep on this path your walking, you'll end up worse than Freeza, Black, Zamasu, or any of the other villains we've encountered. I can only hope you realize this before you make an irreversible mistake."_

 _With that, Piccolo took off, leaving her there, feeling shocked and numb._

* * *

"How dare they," whispered Odianna, enraged.

Pan shook her head. "No, they're right, I'm a villian, a monster, I don't deserve that power..."

"Don't you dare," warned Odianna.

She glared full force down at Pan. "What, just because you don't conform to their rigid narrow mindset that gives them a right to go at you like that? Allude to you being a villian? Worse than Black? Please, you SAVED their ungrateful asses from Black."

Pan hesitated, an uncertain look on her face. "But..."

Odianna cupped Pan's chin in her hand and lifted her head up to make eye contact. "Pan, look at me. There is nothing wrong with obtaining the power you need to protect those you care for. Mercy is all well and good, but more often than not, you just need to put down your enemies."

Their was a darkening inside Pan's eyes. "There's nothing wrong with obtaining power..."

Odianna nodded. "They had NO right to say those kind of things to you."

Pan's eyes tightened. "They had no right."

"When your older, and in control of your power, it'll be you who makes the decisions Pan. You might have to put up with their bullshit until you attain control, but there will come a day when it is by YOUR hand that justice will be met out, and by your will that evil like the Saiyans we dealt with shall be struck down," explained Odianna.

Pan smiled eagerly. "Yeah... when I figure that power out. I'll be the hero..."

"Even greater then your Grandfather," said Odianna.

"Even greater than Grandpa," whispered Pan, almost fanatically.

Odianna smiled at her. "And I trust that you will do whatever it takes to reach that point, and make the existence we live in a much better place. Promise?"

Pan nodded feverishly. "Yes, yes! I promise, I'll make the dimensions a better place!"

Odianna patted her head. "Good girl."

Pan beamed.

"Now, lets finish up shall we?" said Odianna.

Pan nodded and leaned her head forward eagerly, and Odianna placed a hand on her head. She went through the rest of Son Goku's 'scolding and support' with chagrin. Then, the next month came and went. She had to admit, Pan really deserved that month off to relax...

...

...

...

It sunk in. It hit Odianna hard suddenly. She could remember her own life before the Saiyan invasions, when she could honestly say she had been happy. She knew of what life was _SUPPOSED_ to be like without genocidal Saiyan invasions or crazy trips to other dimensions. That life had been robbed from Pan when she was eight years old, and she had gone through utter hell since then, living and breathing conflict or training with few bright spots in-between. She felt a surge of kinship with the child, recognizing that their lives mirrored one another closely.

"We're similar, the two of us," murmured Odianna sadly, "Neither of us got a life of peace and happiness we deserved."

Pan scooted forward and leaned forward, wrapping her arms around Odianna, resting her head against the immortal teenager's bosom. "No... we didn't, its not fair..."

Odianna smirked sadly and had a sudden idea of how to comfort Pan better. "No its not. But, we'll be alright. Right, my little sister?"

Pan's eyes went wide at those last two words and began to shake with happiness. "Y-yeah, yeah we sure will big sis!"

Odianna felt successful with those words and decided to finish up, making a pass over Pan's most recent memories. She frowned intently. Something wasn't right...

"Those thoughts of yours," murmured Odianna.

Pan looked away. "I... I know you don't want me to think like that big sis, but... I can't help but think I'm a monster for what I thought, what I did against Coli..."

Odianna frowned, searching and playing the memories over and over again, this wasn't adding up at all. "Something's off... those thoughts... are they really yours?"

Pan blinked. "H-huh?"

Odianna's eyes narrowed intently, a warning light going off in her head. "Pan. One does not just suddenly change their thought patterns just like that. And what happened right before you entered the ring, how do you explain just snapping like that?"

"I... I don't know big sis," murmured Pan with confusion, "I don't understand what your getting at."

Odianna said nothing for a minute, working the possibilities over in her mind. "You don't do drugs. You don't have a multiple-personality disorder. You weren't poisoned or afflicted with a disease. You weren't intentionally wanting to act like that, you resisted. That leaves basically one option given the setting: Someone was messing with your mind."

"Was... what...," said Pan blankly.

Odianna could see the dots connecting behind the girl's eyes, see the clarity entering her her face, and feel the girl's mind accepting what had happened, starting to repair the guilt-ridden damage it had inflicted on itself.

Pan's face contorted with rage and hate. "MESSED WITH MY MIND?! WHO! HOW! WHY?!"

Odianna narrowed her eyes. "I don't know, but you need to guard yourself Pan. Always be alert."

Pan shook with fury, and then sobbed. "It wasn't my fault... it wasn't my fault... oh gods... if I tell them, maybe they won't hate me anymore... maybe my family will take me back..."

Oh, right, that ought to be fixed to.

"Pan, they don't hate you," said Odianna sternly, "They were congratulating you and saying they were proud of you for not killing the Saiyan Coli, but you were kind of out of it and didn't seem to hear them."

Pan's jaw dropped and tears streamed down her face. "R-really?!"

Odianna nodded. "Yes Pan."

Pan hugged her and started sobbing again. "I'm such an idiot! I was... I was going to kill myself because I thought they wouldn't want me anymore, that I'd be alone... that I was a failure... big sis... thank you, thank you for stopping me, for saving me."

It took a lot to make Odianna blush at praise, but she did then and there. "I'd do it again in a heart beat my little sister. But, to be frank, I saw nothing wrong with the beating you gave to that Coli bitch, I would have wanted you to do more, and I would never have abandoned you for it."

Pan smiled warmly. "Hee hee... that's cause you do worse things than I do to Saiyans. N-n-not that they don't deserve it!"

Odianna nodded and cupped Pan's chin. "Not that they don't deserve it indeed. Remember the promise Pan, real monsters like Coli have no place in the dimensions. When the time comes..."

"I'll make the dimensions a better place," whispered Pan fanatically.

Odianna started to rise to her feet before Pan suddenly clutched her hand. "Big sis... please... come back with me to Earth... I know, I know Terra is your home, but please... don't go back, there's nothing there anymore. You, Aideen, and the other three can come live on Earth and get a life you deserved. Please... come back with us... I just... I want to see you happy, I want to see Aideen happy, like we were... like that time... when we sat on top of the lookout looking up at the moon. The three of us could be sisters, together..."

Odianna stared wordlessly at Pan who was giving her the most desperate, loyal, pleading look she had ever seen. "..."

Gods, that face... it was hard to say no to that. But...

"I don't think I have a place on your world," said Odianna.

A dangerous tone filled Pan's voice, and a deadly look filled her eyes, "Then I'll make a place for you there. I'm not taking no for an answer and I don't care if anyone else has a problem with it, they'll have to take it up with me."

Odianna felt the hairs on the back of her neck stand up. "Make a place huh?"

For a brief moment, Odianna had an understanding of what Son Goku, Gohan, and Piccolo were afraid of. There was something... unsettling about Pan at the moment, she was radiating an aura of danger. She pondered it for a moment, then smiled. Yes, she understood quite well. They were afraid they wouldn't be able to control her.

Oh yes, Pan was going to become one of the most powerful beings in all of existence with that green power of hers. Woe be it to _ANYONE_ who challenges her in any way or denies her anything. And Odianna wanted nothing more than to be at her side and help guide her in cleansing the Dimensions of monsters like the Saiyan race. The two of them together would be unstoppable...

"Alright Pan, after the tournament," said Odianna.

Pan's face lit up with such happiness. "Oh big sis!"

Pan hugged her again fiercely.

"Round four will begin in five minutes!" the Grand Priests voiced echoed throughout the arena.

Odianna slowly stood up and turned her back to Pan. "I'll see you later. Take a moment to gather yourself, and then head back to your area. We will discuss me swapping dimensions later, after the tournament. Keep it our little secret for now. Remember to keep your guard up and your mind sharp, someone is after your head."

"Okay," said Pan, her eyes narrowing.

Pan rose to her feet, going to the sink that still had a mirror, and began to wash her face off. Odianna could tell she was furious over someone messing with her head, and it did beg the question, just who had done it?

A different set of concerns and circumstances returned to her mind. She had a wish she wanted to get, but there was now a BIG problem in her way. Super Saiyan 3, and Super Saiyan God. She had noted Goku and Vegeta's no God Ki bet, but didn't trust them to hold to it. If she was calculating right, her new trump card _MIGHT_ match Super Saiyan 3, but God Ki? It begged the question: How the fuck was she supposed to deal with this and beat them? Could she?

She needed her wish. She was willing to start over and guide Pan, gods know the girl needed someone who actually understood her in her life, but she could NOT leave things unresolved in her home dimension. Pan could one day deal with it, but, that dimension was Odianna's problem to deal with, and she'd see it done first. There was a threat there, and it had to be eliminated...

* * *

Towa watched Odianna leave the bathroom, taking extra precaution to keep her presence hidden from the woman. This woman was far more dangerous and aware than Towa had originally given her credit for, alerting Pan to her mental manipulation. Not to mention, she was immortal. Towa had found THAT little tidbit out with her magic when she was back-seat watching Odianna go through Pan's memories. Odianna was a new chess-piece on the board Towa was playing against the gods that she did not quite know how to define. A Queen? A Rook? A Pawn? It was hard to say.

The woman also held _INCREDIBLE_ influence over Pan in her weakened mental state. Odianna had the child wrapped around her finger with that ' _little sister_ ' ' _big sister_ ' nonsense. Pan was so needy at the moment, so hungry for acceptance. It was laughable, Odianna could order Pan to wipe out worlds and she'd probably do it to appease the woman. It was a shame she probably wouldn't do so. Ah well, after all, there was a reason she was a human and Towa was a demon. Not everyone could have such gifts.

Regardless, Towa was relieved that Odianna had intervened, because, Towa had to admit, she had screwed up. She had addled and weakened Pan's mind, hoping to drive her to kill Coli in the tournament and get disqualified in order for the girl to get into a confrontational argument with the gods to help increase her hatred of them. She had never actually thought Pan would break, and especially not turn suicidal. As much as she loved destroying the minds as wills of mortals, doing so to this particular one would have been a complete disaster for her plans.

Towa again pondered the situation she had created quietly. Pan was incredibly strong willed for a mortal, she had seen mortals far older than this child break for far less than what she had been through. However, it appeared even she had her limits. Towa couldn't afford to risk damaging her prize again, she had been fortunate Odianna had repaired some of the damage.

Even now though, the risk to her plans was extreme: Pan was an unstable walking disaster waiting to happen. One did not just ' _fix_ ' a mental break of that degree that was magical in origin with an open ear, kind words, and hugs, ugh those thoughts were disgusting to even think for a demon.

Pan was not sound of mind anymore. That was for certain. The Pan that had entered the tournament would have questioned a number of things Odianna had said towards the end. Pan needed time to ground herself in order to become useful again. After all, Towa could hardly defy the gods with such a marred tool, and speaking of that tool...

She watched Pan walked out of the bathroom, appearing calm, cool, and collected. Only the tightening around her eyes, and the agony hiding inside of them, showed any hints of what had happened inside the bathroom, and inside her mind. Towa carefully stretched out with her magic, not to harm, but merely to gauge. She could feel all of Pan's mental walls beginning to restructure themselves with a rapidness that Towa had not foreseen. Her fortitude was still abysmal, but, perhaps Towa wasn't set back as much as she thought.

Excellent...

* * *

 _Author's Notes:_

 _Ah, a trip through Pan's memory lane! Take 2, Odianna instead of Goku._

 _So yeah, jokes aside, Odianna realizes shes a scumbag, tries to fix it in her own way, and Pan continues her huge breakdown for most of it. Odianna helps her out, but not all of her advice and 'helping' seems sound, especially at the end in reference to her Green power. Pan has recovered, to a degree, but just how sound is her mind at the moment?  
_

 _Should one feel happy or sad at this chapter? Is unease filling your gut? This is not a happily ever after chapter, there will be severe repercussions down the road leading directly from this event and how Odianna handled it. Good and evil are not clearly defined in Pan's mind anymore... we will see how Pan adjusts to the world, and her friends and family, after coming back from the brink in her new state of mind...  
_

 _The tittle of this chapter is a reference to an episode of an animated TV show I used to watch when I was younger. Props if you can guess it._


	45. Round 4

_**Potara - Chapter 45: Round 4**_

* * *

Pan walked down the hallway towards her Dimension area slowly in a daze. The last thirty minutes felt surreal to her. Never would she have thought Odianna would have done that for her, been there for her, to save her from herself, treating her like a little sister and acting like a big one. It was everything she could have ever wanted to have from the woman and more. Not even Bra made her feel like she had a sister, just a good friend.

Pan hugged herself briefly as she walked. "My own big sis, tee hee."

She came to the exit to her area and froze, hearing the faint voices of her friends and family up ahead. She gulped fearfully. Odianna had said they didn't hate her, that they were proud of her, but, it was just... so hard to believe her after that fight. The shame of it still burned deep in her gut, but...

Her eyes narrowed. Odianna had said that someone had been in her mind. It hadn't been a certainty, but it was the best bet, and she believed it. She swore to herself if she ever figured out who had done that to her, she'd make them die, _slowly,_ and no amount of Grandfather pleading for her to show mercy would stop her either.

Pan took in a breath, let it out, put on the most blank, passive face she could, and walked out into the Dimension 1 area.

Goku was the first to notice her. "Heya Pan!"

Her mind registered the friendly greeting, decided that Odianna was right, and relaxed, she allowed a small smile. "Hi Grandfather."

Goku paused, giving her a curious look. "Grandfather?"

Pan returned the look. "Yes?"

Goku pouted. "You always call me Grandpa."

She frowned at him. "That's childish."

"You are a child Panny," teased Goten.

She shot him a dirty look. "More of an adult then you are!"

Trunks snickered at that.

Pan walked past her uncle and stood next to her father, staring at the ring. There was a silence in their area. She could feel eyes on her, everyone's eyes. She could taste uncertainty in the air, in their ki. Odianna said they didn't hate her, but, they definitly were wary of her.

"Pan," said Gohan.

She turned her head to look up at him. "Yes father?"

Gohan gave her a confused look and muttered. "Father?"

She frowned at him, why did it seem to matter to them if she called them that instead of 'Grandpa' or 'dad/daddy'? "Yes?"

"I'm proud that you were able to control yourself at the end, but, were going to have to talk after the tournament," said Gohan sternly.

She kept a passive face, but feared the answer. "Why?"

"I know you were upset, heck, I was mad to, but, fighting like that Pan, you should know better," said Gohan softly.

For a brief moment, she felt guilt, but it was quickly overshadowed by something else, by the _tone_ he was talking to her in. Strict one second, soft the next, trying to state his opinion, but not hurt her feelings to much. It hadn't angered her before, but now, for some reason, being talked to like she was a child irritated her. On top of that, he was condescending her about _THAT_. It wasn't even her fault! At least, not fully. She thought about telling him, but, would he even believe her?

She resisted the urge to laugh hysterically. _Oh hey dad you know how I was fighting like a maniac and your scolding me for it? It wasn't my fault! Someone was in my head messing with me!_

Yeah right, he wouldn't believe her, none of them would. They'd think she was crazy at worse, or making up an excuse at best. She couldn't trust in them... she was alone after all... no wait, not fully. Odianna trusted in her, believed in her. Yet her own family wouldn't? Grrr...

She glared full force at her father. "Know better? Maybe I do, maybe I SHOULD have finished the job."

Gohan stared at her in disbelief. "Pan... that's not the right thing to do and you know it."

A memory triggered...

* * *

 _"How dare they," whispered Odianna, enraged._

 _Pan shook her head. "No, they're right, I'm a villain, a monster, I don't deserve that power..."_

 _"Don't you dare," warned Odianna._

 _She glared full force down at Pan. "What, just because you don't conform to their rigid narrow mindset that gives them a right to go at you like that? Allude to you being a villian? Worse than Black? Please, you SAVED their ungrateful asses from Black."_

 _Pan hesitated, an uncertain look on her face. "But..."_

 _Odianna cupped Pan's chin in her hand and lifted her head up to make eye contact. "Pan, look at me. There is nothing wrong with obtaining the power you need to protect those you care for. Mercy is all well and good, but more often than not, you just need to put down your enemies."_

* * *

Pan refocused and narrowed her eyes. "Just because it's what _YOU_ think is the right thing to do, that doesn't mean it actually is. Are you seriously going to tell me that a monster like Coli doesn't need to be put down?"

"Pan...," began Gohan.

"She threatened mom, she's threatened to burn an entire world of humans, has killed who knows how many people in her home dimension and you DARE to tell me that showing mercy to her is the right thing to do? You think that showing ANYONE like that mercy is the right thing to do?" said Pan with fury.

"That's not on us to decide," said Gohan firmly.

"Like hell it isn't," retorted Pan.

The Grand Priest began the fourth round, interrupting them. "We begin Round Four! Would Kale from Dimension 2 and Son Pan from Dimension 1 enter the ring?"

Pan gave a start, surprised that she was going first just after being the final battle last round. Then, it registered to her just who she was being paired against. The Saiyan Emperor. She frowned intently and glanced in his direction, seeing the giant of a man flying to the ring. She had a brief flicker of doubt and uncertainty, could she beat their leader? She squashed the thought: She was going to crush this brute.

"You can shove your mercy, I've got a fight to do," said Pan dismissively to her father before taking off.

* * *

Gohan stared wordlessly after his daughter, bewildered beyond belief. "What... just happened?"

He watched Pan touch down at the other side of the ring as her opponent, staring down at Kale with poorly masked resentment.

Goku moved to stand next to Gohan. "Give her some time, she's just mad, that's all. Chi-Chi gets like that all the time."

Gohan raised an eyebrow. "I'm not sure they're that comparable."

"When Chi-Chi has that frying pan of her's they sure are," countered Goku, a smirk on his face.

Gohan couldn't help but smile a little before turning to the ring. "What are Pan's chances?"

Goku crossed his arms. "Depends on how just much power he's holding back. He's stronger than the other five, that's for certain, but, by how much?"

Vegeta walked over to them. "The Grandbrat doesn't stand a chance, not against him."

"Begin!" shouted the Grand Priest.

Pan ascended to Super Saiyan 2 in a flash and held out two fists in-front of her, one tight to her stomach, one held a bit in-front of her, ready and waiting. However, her opponent made no move to power up, he merely appraised her silently.

"Well? What are you waiting for _Saiyan?_ " spat Pan.

Kale raised an eyebrow. "You say that with such venom, you are aware you and your family are Saiyan as well, are you not?"

Pan shrugged. "No one's perfect."

Gohan couldn't help but cough at that.

"She's really angry," murmured Goku, as if trying to convince himself.

"She looks calm to me, clown," said Vegeta.

Gohan said nothing. Something was off about Pan, and he didn't understand what or why. Her ki had settled back down from the storm it had been during the fight, but, she wasn't the same. In the span of under an hour, Pan had just abruptly changed. She was acting like when she first came back from the other dimensions, only worse, more confrontational and hostile. One fight, one bad episode, and suddenly it was like everything they had tried to do for Pan had been undone.

It couldn't be as simple as the fight, she had been acting a little off before it started. Had he missed something in that small one hour window of time? What possibly could have happened?

* * *

Pan glared daggers at Kale, patiently waiting for him to ascend. "I'm waiting."

"So am I," retorted Kale.

Pan frowned. "For what?"

"For the power you showed against Coli," answered Kale, "Your barely giving off half the strength you had before."

Pan didn't reply. The fight against Coli had been a blurry red haze in her mind. She barely knew what happened. Though, it was enough to rile her up with guilt and anger, not knowing which emotion was winning for control.

She banished them, if he wanted her unrestrained then he could have her, but, it wasn't so easy that she could just will it to happen. "If you want that, work for it, get me _mad_."

Kale crossed his arms. "What does anger have to do with anything except making you fight sloppy?"

Pan shrugged. "It's a hybrid thing, we get stronger when we get really mad. Or at least me and dad do, haven't seen it with Trunks or Goten."

There was a strange gleam in Kale's eyes. "Interesting, most interesting."

She tensed, bracing herself, but Kale did not attack. Instead, he placed his arms behind his back, connected his hands, and began to pace back and forth, keeping his eyes on Pan as he did so.

"I'll admit, when I first took note of you hybrids, I was dismissive, I thought you would be weak, pathetic. Instead, the four combatant hybrids of your dimension are more than twice as strong as the average ascended Super Saiyan of my Dimension, below only my Hands in strength. Your father can even somehow tap into his full power without transforming, you hybrids far exceeded my expectations," said Kale, voice coated with praise.

Pan rolled her eyes, not caring in the slightest. "K'ay, good for you, can we fight now?"

Kale smirked. "Oh we will, you can be certain of that, I'm going to finish first though. Out of all four combat hybrids, you child, impress me the most. While not as powerful as your father, which is to be expected for a child, you are something, more. An adolescent as an ascended Super Saiyan of that much power? Extraordinary. Seeing your might, I will freely admit, we made a mistake in our Dimension."

Pan raised an eyebrow. "What's that?"

Kale grinned wickedly. "We should have enslaved the human race instead of wiping them out in order to breed hybrids."

Pan's eyes narrowed dangerously, her rage rising, her power spiking. "You... disgusting... scumbag!"

Kale turned his head to eye the humans of Dimension 2. "Sadly, its a matter of principle and honor that we finish what we started. It's an insult to our pride that the human race in our Dimension has survived this long and laid so many of us low, they must be wiped out. Then again, perhaps I might just kill the lead human and keep the other woman for my own, _personal_ , use."

Pan completely lose it. No fucking way would she let him lay a hand on Aideen, now way would she let him... him... _rape_ her... Pan gave a scream of fury, her power skyrocketing, and charged. Screw the tournament, he had to die! She closed the distance, threw a punch coated with massive amounts of ki, and aimed it for his heart.

Kale ascended to Super Saiyan 2 and caught her punch with laughable ease. "There's the power I wanted to see."

Pan's eyes went wide with shock. His power... it was like fighting Grandfather or Vegeta when they were Super Saiyan 2! Kale twisted her arm, nearly snapping it, and forced her to the ground.

"Come hybrid! Surely you can do better!" mocked Kale.

Pan tried to break free, tried to move, but he easily kept her down.

"Perhaps not, after all, you are but a commoner, perhaps this is where you belong, under heel, bowing before your Emperor," mocked Kale.

Pan glared murderously at him. "I'm going to kill you!"

He smirked. "Your going to try and fail."

Alright, that's it! No games! All or nothing! Pan screamed with power and pain, a red aura engulfing her body and almost overshadowing her Super Saiyan 2 aura.

"KAIO-KEN TIMES FIFTY!" screamed Pan.

Her power erupted and blew Kale off her. She rose to her feet in a flash and embedded her fist into his chest, doubling him over, blood erupting from his mouth. She kicked him high into the air and rushed up, punching and kicking him over and over again as hard as she could.

Gods, the pain... she had forgotten just how devastating it was to use Kaio-Ken and Super Saiyan together, especially at a x50. She could feel her insides starting to liquidate, and her skin starting to burn. She had maybe ten to thirty seconds to end this before she lost her power, lost consciousness. Maybe a minute after that until she died. She had to end this, now, and hope the match ended before her body wasted away.

Pan two-handed slammed Kale to the ground and then cupped her hands to her side. "Super..."

She aimed her hands. "KAMEHAMEHAAAAAAAA!"

The devastating energy wave erupted from her palms and speed towards Kale. The Saiyan Emperor rose to a knee, eying the energy calmly. He put two fingers to his head and... NO WAY!

Kale vanished, and the energy wave hit where he had been a second later, exploding. Instant, fucking, Transmission, how the hell did he know that move?

 _ZIP_

Pan turned her head, seeing Kale reappear behind her, smirking one hell of a smug smile. She gave him one hateful glare before her power gave out and she plummeted towards the ground, her power shot and her body failing.

Kale caught her before she could hit the ground and set her down gently. "Impressive child, most impressive."

She stared up at him, in a daze, her consciousness starting to fade. Why... had he caught her...?

Kale aimed a hand at her, ki radiating off and flowing into her body. "It would be a shame for you to perish now, I suppose it is my duty as your Emperor to preserve your life."

Kale kept her alive until the thirty second mark hit and the Grand Priest announced his victory and then healed Pan. She laid there, staring up in confusion at the Saiyan Emperor.

He offered a hand. "Well fought child, you actually managed to bleed me."

She glared at him. "Shove it you disgusting pig! I swear if you lay a hand on Aideen I'll..."

Kale raised an eyebrow. "Do you truly think I am so dishonorable that I would force myself upon a female? You told me I had to get you mad to see your power, I merely followed your instructions. That you would think I would be so dishonorable, its a shame really, you truly know nothing of Saiyan Pride. Your Prince has done a poor job educating you."

She stared at him in disbelief. "You..."

She ground her teeth and rose to her feet, ignoring his offered hand. "It still means nothing. That you'd even ' _joke_ ' about something like that to get me mad sickens me. You sicken me, your no Emperor of mine."

Kale smirked at her. "Perhaps not yet, but I will be one day. There will come a time when you will one day willingly kneel at my feet and pledge yourself to my Empire."

Pan glared at him. "I'd die first."

Without another word, Pan flew back to her area. Kale following suit to his own.

Gohan crossed his arms. "Pan."

"What?" she asked with frustration.

"You willingly tried to kill him in the middle of a match," stated Gohan.

Oh no, no way was he _DARING_ to try this right now.

Pan clenched her fists. "Don't you dare!"

Gohan narrowed his eyes. "The previous fight against Coli was one thing, this was another. If you hadn't lost anyway, I would have taken you out of the tournament."

Pan stared at him in disbelief. "You..."

She glared full force at him. "What if you had been in there and he said that about MOM!? Would you have kept your cool? I doubt it, you wouldn't have given him a chance to lay a hand on her! Hypocrite!"

Before Gohan could reply, the Grand Priest announced the next match. "Now! Would Son Goku from Dimension 1 and Majin Xuu from Dimension 10 please enter the ring!"

Goku started to levitate and move to the ring as Gohan returned his daughter's glare. "Pan! There's a difference between saying, and doing. You don't hurt people for what they say there going to do, if he had taken any action towards her I WOULD have stopped him, but not a moment before."

"Bullshit," Pan spat back.

"Pan...," began Gohan, growing frustrated.

"Shove it! I've had all I can take of you at the moment, I'd rather be with someone who doesn't judge me like you all keep doing!" spat Pan, turning, walking over to the divider between Dimension 1 and 2, vaulting over, and moving to stand next to Odianna.

The woman raised an eyebrow at that, gave her shoulder a brief squeeze, and looked to the ring, saying nothing. Pan faced forward, ignoring Aideen's confused look, and looked at the ring. She noted her Grandfather had stopped flying and was looking her way with concern and confusion. Pan paid him no mind and simply stared at the floor, fuming silently to herself, feeling frustrated, and very much alone.

* * *

Goku floated in the air between his area and the ring, feeling utterly lost at the moment. What in the world was going on with Pan at the moment? Not to mention, what had happened between her and Odianna? That woman had wanted to hurt and kill Pan earlier today at the start of the tournament, now they were suddenly friends again? What had he missed?

"You can handle your familial problems another time, we have a fight to do!" called over Majin Xuu.

Goku slowly turned away and flew to the ring, landing at the opposite end.

Xuu smirked. "You had best not be distracted during the fight, I want a challenge."

"Begin!" shouted the Grand Priest.

Goku turned Super Saiyan 2 and glared at Xuu. "You want a challenge? If that's the case, why'd you turn Gohan into a piece of candy? He sure was giving you a challenge then."

Xuu frowned at him.

"Why so quiet?" taunted Goku angrily, "Gohan WAS a challenge for you, and yet you won the fight cheaply with your magic. You don't want a challenge, you want someone strong enough to give you sport, but can't actually beat you."

Xuu glared at him. "Watch yourself!"

Goku gave him a look of disgust. "I'm not wrong. Your just a coward, and probably weak too, both in strength and spirit. How much of your current strength is your own, and how much did you get from absorbing innocent people?"

Xuu clenched his fists and powered up. "Fool! I'll make you suffer!"

Goku assumed an aggressive stance. "Bring it on. I'll warn you though. I'm stronger, faster, and more skilled than my son. Not to mention, I've already been turned into a candy before, you try that on me, I'll still beat you."

Well, technically, Vegetto had been the one turned into a piece of candy and humiliated Majin Buu as one, but he was sure he could replicate that feat. Maybe.

Xuu threw his hands forward and unleashed a ki blast. "Be quiet!"

Goku dodged to the side and flew at Xuu, slamming a fist into his chest and launching him back. He rushed forward, only to dodge again more as Xuu let loose a magic beam from his head tentacle. He surged forward and bashed Xuu to the ground and then unleashed a Kamehameha Wave into its body, blowing him up and scattering goop everywhere.

Xuu reformed a moment later, steam rising out of his head. "You insufferable Saiyan! I swear I'll beat you!"

Goku smirked and watched the spectacle sadly. Xuu was just as bad as Super Buu had been, not an ounce of real skill or technique. He was a man-child, poorly using techniques and strategies he had stolen from others. The moment things started not going his way he threw a hissy fit. As much as he loathed Cell, he kind of missed the Bio-Android over all the other villains he had fought, Cell at least had real skill, form, and strategy. Though, Cell was no better in the stealing-power-from-others department.

Goku Instant Transmissioned behind the Majin, sweeping his legs out from under him, grabbing his shoulders, and throwing him to the ground. He booted the Majin into the air and blew another kamehameha wave through him, scattering him everywhere.

Goku made a disgruntled sound as some of it landed on him, "Yuck. You know, you really don't stand a chance. Unless you want me to beat you as bad as Gohan was, I suggest you give up."

Suddenly, the goop rushed towards him and expanded in size. Goku's eyes went wide.

"Barrier!" he shouted, remembering the technique Vegetto had used.

He funneled his power into it as Xuu tried to absorb him. Coward, what a coward. It was infuriating. He focused his barrier, not even letting the Majin from shrinking him down to digest. As much as he entertained the idea of trying to free whoever was trapped inside the Majin, if he was gone for thirty seconds he might lose the match because of it.

With a roar, Goku threw his arms to the side and exploded his barrier, splattering the Majin everywhere. Slowly, very slowly, the Majin reformed, trembling in rage and hate.

Goku crossed his arm. "Nice try."

Xuu said nothing, but Goku could see the wheels turning behind his eyes, trying to think of some way to win. Majins were annoying to fight, there really wasn't a way to deal with them easily. Chopping the back of their neck to knock them out wouldn't work. If he tried to just pin the Majin down, Xuu might try to absorb or candybeam him. He could just wear him down overtime, but, there was no guarantee the Majin might not get off a cheap win somehow, and he was not going to let this Majin steal another win. Maybe if he went Super Saiyan 3 he could scare the fight out of him, but, he'd rather not reveal that form to the tournament yet. He might need it to surprise Odianna or Kale later on, depending on if they were strong enough.

Hmm... what to do, what to do. He needed a way to incapacitate the Majin. There was the Evil Containment Wave, but, he didn't have anything to put him in... wait a second... yes he did!

Goku grinned and flew down to the ground, taking off a boot and sock. Oh man it had been awhile since he last had to improvise, this was going to be good! It was going to be humiliating for the Majin as well.

The Majin gave him a curious and wary look. "The hell are you doing?"

Goku threw his hands up into the air, and then made a swirling, sweeping motion. "Evil Containment Wave!"

The Majin gave a startled cry as he was sucked into a green swirling vortex. Goku made another sweeping motion with his hand, and with one final cry, the Majin was sucked into Goku's boot. Goku knelt down, grabbed his sock, and stuffed it down the boot. He laid his boot on the ground and held he boot down as it began to rattle and shake.

"C'mon, just need to keep him in there for thirty seconds!" said Goku, a smirk on his face.

He powered up to his full might as a Super Saiyan 2 and placed a shield of ki around his boot. Without a seal to go with the Evil Containment Wave the Majin would get out unless he forced it to stay in there. The boot shook viciously, but the Majin's power was not stronger than Goku's.

"Majin Xuu has been incapacitated for thirty seconds! Son Goku is the winner!" shouted the Grand Priest.

Goku smirked and took the sock out of his boot, letting the Majin escape.

Xuu turned to him, enraged. "YOU! I SWEAR I'LL KILL YOU!"

Goku powered down, sat down, and put his sock and boot on. "Sure, go ahead and try. Not sure the gods will like you trying that outside a match."

The Grand Priest levitated down to them and raised an eyebrow at Xuu. The Majin immediately went passive and returned to his area. Goku suppressed a laugh, stood up, and flew back to his area. His smile immediately faded as he return to the awkward scene. The ground was glancing nervously back towards Pan who was still standing over near Odianna. Pan wasn't looking at them, her gaze towards the ground. Goku sorely wished he could get a sense of what she was feeling right now, nothing was making sense about what she was doing. But, while he could feel nothing concrete from her, his instincts however were telling him something was wrong with her.

"Now! For the last fight of the round, would Odianna from Dimension 2 and Groana from dimension 8 please enter the ring! Since there is no one left to fight him afterwords, Vegeta of Dimension 1 gets the bye," shouted the Grand Priest.

Odianna flew to the ring, the demoness from Dimension 8 doing the same.

Odianna assumed a fighting stance and spoke, "As a warning, that little stunt you pulled on the Saiyan last round wont work on me, I don't swing that way."

Groana smirked at her. "A little human like you? Please, I won't need to use my magic at all. I'll break you with my two bare hands."

Goku sized them both up, decided that Odianna was going to destroy the demoness, and turned away from the fight. He took the opportunity to move to the divider near Pan, deciding to try and talk with her.

"Hey Pan, are you okay?" asked Goku.

Pan didn't reply, merely continuing to look at the ground. Goku looked at Aideen, who shared in his confusion.

"Pan?" he asked again.

She looked up at him and spoke bitterly. "Go away Grandfather."

Goku met her eyes and flinched. What the hell? Her eyes practically shined with pain and torment. It wasn't the only thing there though. There was anger, frustration, resentment, and all if it looked to be towards them. She looked... she seemed so alone at the moment, Goku didn't understand where it came from.

Pan looked away. "Go away..."

Goku hesitated before reluctantly obeying. Now wasn't the time to make a scene.

"Begin!" shouted the Grand Priest.

Goku didn't pay attention to the fight and instead directed his thoughts. _"Piccolo?"_

 _"What is it?"_ mentally asked the Namekian.

 _"Something's not right with Pan._ _Have you seen or felt anything?_ _,"_ asked Goku.

There was silence for a moment before he replied, _"I'm unsure."_

 _"C'mon, you've got to have seen something!"_ asked Goku.

Piccolo grew annoyed. _"Goku, what exactly do you expect of me? I was studying to the other dimensions up until Pan's fight against the Saiyan Coli. I don't understand whats gotten into the child either."_

Goku went silent for a moment before thinking. _"Ask the others, maybe they saw something?"_

 _"Very well, give me a few minutes,_ " was Piccolo's reply.

 _CRACK_

Goku turned his head to the ring, sighting Odianna slamming her leg into the back of the demoness, breaking her spine and knocking her to the floor. Thirty seconds later, she was declared the victor.

The Grand Priest spoke. "The fourth round has ended. Since the rounds have grown shorter, we will shrink the break time. Please be back in your areas within ten minutes. The semi-final matches will begin then."

Goku turned his head towards the spectator area, waiting patiently.

A few minutes later, Piccolo spoke in his mind. _"Goku, we don't have anything on our end. The only thing that stuck anyone as odd was that Pan was rubbing her head a lot and took a nap before the second round, that's it, and that's hardly anything to go on."_

Goku frowned intently, he was right, that wasn't much to go on at all. _"Alright, thanks Piccolo."_

Goku walked over to Gohan and whispered. "Hey Gohan, was Pan rubbing her head a lot earlier?"

Gohan nodded. "She said she had a headache and went to take a nap."

Goku slowly shook his head. "That ain't anything to go on. I'm surprised all of us don't have headaches with all the noise. Dang it, I don't get what's with Pan."

Gohan nodded. "I'm in the same boat. We'll just have to wait until after the tournament to confront Pan and figure out whats going on with her."

Goku sighed quietly to himself. The tournament wouldn't last much longer, maybe another hour or two at most. Three more rounds, him, Vegeta, Odianna, and Kale. He and Vegeta would get paired against the later two, then paired against one another in the last round unless they royally screwed up.

Kale was still hiding some of his power, Goku was sure of that, he had handled Pan too easily, and even survived a Super Saiyan 2 x50 Kaio-ken. Maybe he was a Super Saiyan 3? Odianna on the other hand, strangely enough, was under-preforming from what he had seen. With all that time she must have had in the time chamber, he thought she would have been stronger. Unless she was hiding something, he wasn't concerned with her.

The only thing that did concern him at the moment was Pan. He hesitated, wondering if it really was a good idea to wait to speak with her, but, reluctantly decided to put it off. After all, it wouldn't hurt or risk anything to put it off for an hour or two until after the tournament, right?

* * *

 _Author's Notes:_

 _Famous last words Goku, famous last words._


	46. Semi-Finals

_**Potara - Chapter 46: Semi-Finals**_

* * *

"Now! We begin the semi-final matches! Would Son Goku from Dimension 1 and Odianna from Dimension 2 please enter the ring!" shouted the Grand Priest.

Goku raised an eyebrow at that match up, glancing back at the woman who was standing next to his granddaughter.

Pan looked up at Odianna grimly. "Good luck big sis, your going to need it in order to win."

Odianna nodded. "I'm aware."

Goku stared at Pan blankly. Did she just call Odianna 'big sis'? And did she just wish her good luck against him?! He couldn't help but feel hurt.

Odianna flew to the ring, and Goku followed suit, feeling completely and utterly confused. They touched down and stared eachother down from opposite ends of the ring.

"Hmph, looks like were getting that rematch you wanted Saiyan," said Odianna scornfully.

Goku rolled his eyes. "That I wanted? I didn't want to fight you, you wanted to fight me. So, I hope you used that immortality of your's well and got in a lot of time in the timechamber. Because your going to need every edge you can get."

There was coughs and gasps of surprise from the Saiyans of Dimension 2, who were staring at Odianna, dumbfounded.

Kale threw back his head and laughed. "So that's it! Immortality, that's how the humans have survived this long."

Odianna shot Goku an annoyed look. "You should learn to keep your mouth shut."

Before he could respond, the Grand Priest shouted. "Begin!"

Odianna clenched her fists. "Hyper Kaio-Ken times fifty!"

 _BOOM!_

The blue aura ignited around Odianna, expelling immense heat throughout the ring, her power rocketing.

Goku studied her briefly, she was at the upper extreme of the Super Saiyan 2 tier in power. "Not bad, but, I kind of expected better. You had how many hundreds of years in the time chamber to train?"

Odianna grew scornful. "What do I look like? A Saiyan? Someone who can abandon all reason and responsibilities to mindlessly fight and train? I spent no where near even one-hundred years in the time-chamber. I had to help protect Terra from constant attacks, I had responsibilities to what few survivors remained. And ignoring that, I couldn't even fathom someone being able to stand being alone in that room for that long without going insane."

Goku went silent at that. "Oh..."

Odianna smirked. "But, if your expecting an easy win, _Saiyan_ , you will be sorely disappointed."

Goku matched her smirk. "Quite the opposite, I'm hoping for a challenge."

"Let's see if I can oblige," taunted Odianna.

"By all means," retorted Goku, ascending to Super Saiyan 2.

They both blurred and disappeared, reappearing high in the air clashing in a flurry of blows. Goku fought defensively, focusing on blocking and dodging while taking opportune attacks. He knew Odianna was a lesser immortal. She could heal any wound over time and would passively regain lost energy. The longer the fight dragged out, the more chances she would get to wear him down. He contemplated going in for the quick win and just going Super Saiyan 3 from the get go, but decided to hold off and see what she was capable of. Not to mention, he had questions he wanted answered.

Goku spoke with a low tone, as to not be overheard by anyone outside the ring. "So, what was with-."

He blocked a heavy hit aimed at his gut. "-with that 'Big Sis' thing?"

Odianna spun and kicked at his head, Goku reached up and caught her foot, holding her in place, she glared at him and spat, "I, of all people, was there for Pan when _YOU_ weren't!"

Goku frowned. "What do you mean?"

Odianna twisted her body, bringing her other leg around to boot it into the side of Goku's head, sending him flying. He recovered and levitated backwards, pondering her words. What in the world was she talking about? When had Pan needed him? Where? Wait a second, Pan had went off to be alone after the fight with Coli... is that what Odianna meant? But Pan was hardly gone for thirty minutes, what could she possibly have needed him for in that small of a time-frame? He felt nothing dangerous in the area...

He had little time to think of anything else as Odianna rushed at him, blazing forward. He blocked her attacks and back-peddled through the air. He had to admit, immortality was an amazing thing. He was starting to see why villains would want it. She was sustaining the Hyper Kaio-Ken at the x50 level at all times without any effort. Still, what glory or fun was there in a fight you there wasn't any risk or couldn't actually lose? Not that he couldn't win this at any point by knocking her out cold or pinning her down for thirty seconds.

Odianna threw a punch at his face. He let it hit, using the force to spin himself around grab her arm, and throw her towards the ground. Odianna spun, righting herself and landing on her feet. She cupped her hands to her side, charging a Kamehameha wave that started rapidly growing in size.

Goku frowned. "She's putting way to much power into that."

The Kamehameha wave started cackling as lightning surrounded it, its power rocketing. The orb of energy in her hand surpassed Odianna's own power and rapidly kept increasing. Goku frowned, feeling the woman's life-force start to drain. What was she doing?! Pouring that much into the Kamehameha wave was like doing the Tri-Beam, it could kill her if... oh wait... she was immortal, right... oh this was gonna hurt if it hit. He tensed, preparing himself to dodge. He started to feel a little nervous as she kept chugging energy. Two times, three times, four times what her power had been. He might have to go Super Saiyan 3 to survive this.

"I might not have had a lot of time to grow in power, but you can bet I learned from what I saw both you and Pan do. I honed the techniques I learned, I made them my own, and I improved them to suit me. Here, HAVE ONE! DEVASTATION KAMEHAMEHA!" she roared.

She released the energy wave at him, but it did not come out as a beam. Instead, the energy exploded out in all directions. Engulfing the entire ring. Goku made a split second decision to tank the hit as he was and crossed his arms to brace himself. The energy slammed into him, briefly overwhelming his defenses and slamming him back into the ring barrier on the far side. He winced painfully, that had definitely hurt, but, that blast wasn't designed for any one person to be hit by its entire power. If he had to guess, that attack was to hit multiple enemies at once, or to clip an exceptionally fast opponent.

Goku rubbed his sore shoulders and glanced down at Odianna, she had fallen to a knee and was breathing in and out heavily, her energy spent. However, he could already feel it rapidly refilling. He briefly considered pressing an advantage and attacking, but decided to hold back for a moment, mulling over her attack. No, not the attack, the implications of it. She wasn't just fighting with immortality as an added bonus, she was fighting as an immortal warrior, abusing its advantages and incorporating them into her fighting style. That 'Devastation Kamehameha' would have probably killed him to use, or at least made him pass out.

Back in the day, the immortal Zamasu hadn't really fought him that well. He had just fought arrogantly and mocked him for even bothering to fight him. This was different, this he liked. Goku smiled at the thought, an eagerness overtaking him. This was new to him. It was a new challenge, a new fighting style to adapt to and overcome. All things considered, if there were possibly infinite dimensions out there, then he'd definitely run into another immortal at some point. This fight could be a valuable experience for him to drag out. He was going to definitely try and get his worth out of this fight.

Goku rubbed a finger under his nose and called down, "So, you need another minute or are we gonna fight? I get your tired and all, but were supposed to be going at it!"

Odianna glared up at him. "Mock me while you can Saiyan."

Odianna rushed at him, her ki fully restored, and let loose, punching and kicking as fast as she could. Goku didn't fight back, merely blocking and watching as she fought, searching for patterns. Her style made him recall a memory, of when he had sparred with Pan after she got home from the other dimensions. A few quick hits followed by a heavy attack. She attacked in rotations, and rotations were easy to learn and predict.

She swung a hit towards his shoulder. He blocked. She swung her other hand down at his gut. He blocked. He felt her ki peak and she spun rapidly, putting a heavy amount of energy into her leg that was swinging for her side. He shifted his body, bringing his arms together to block the blow. Odianna rounded on him with another volley followed by a heavy blow to his gut. He used her momentum against her, dodging the hit, grabbing her arm, and throwing her forward and into the ring barrier that dinged with a thud.

"C'mon your making this too easy," jabbed Goku.

Odianna narrowed her eyes. "By all means, if you want me to fight seriously, force me to do so."

Goku blinked a few times, surprised. Was that a joke? He hesitated. There was no way she wasn't already fighting seriously, right? He studied her warily, noting an odd confidence on her face. Hmm...

"Okay then, lets get down to it!" he shouted, deciding to see if she was bluffing or not.

He powered up to his maximum as a Super Saiyan 2 and rushed her, taking the offensive. They met midair, and he threw out a heavy blow. To his shock, she didn't defend herself whatsoever. His arm passed right through her chest, erupting in a sickening spray of blood that left him stunned at the sight. She used his surprise against him, continuing her momentum, headbutting her head against his, and using her body to fly him back and slam him into the ring barrier, his other arm caught behind his body. She wrapped both her hands around his neck, trying to cut off his air supply.

Goku brought up his legs, pressing them up between their bodies, and tried to force her off him. He struggled, his vision staring to blur. He shook his head, focused, brought his feet up to her stomach, and fired a Kamehameha from his feet. The energy wave blasted her off him. Goku coughed a bit, breathing in and out, rubbing his throat and looking down at his blood soaked arm with unease. She had totally baited him into it, that... was a dirty strategy. She didn't need to be concerned with defense at all. She literally let him put his arm through her chest to try and choke him out. That... was kind of scary. However...

He noted she hadn't resumed attacking. She was floating a ways away, cradling the hole in her chest. She might be immortal, but he noted the pain written clearly on her face. That she was willing to put herself through that let him know just how exceptionally dangerous she could be. She would probably allow herself to be blown up completely despite the pain if it meant she could win a fight. That kind of clear self-disregard was dangerous, like fighting someone with nothing left to lose. On the other hand, he watched her wound, it healed very slowly. It wasn't instantaneous like full immortality. That meant that some of the wounds he dealt would stick awhile. Which let him know he could probably blow her up and he would win through the thirty-second rule before she could regenerate. He smirked, plus one way to win.

He readied himself and charged again, charging a ki blast in each hand. He let them lose towards her and dove down below her. Odianna spun, engulfing her hands with ki, and caught the blasts, throwing them down at Goku as he started to charge from below. He gave a yelp and raised his arms up to block. They hit and exploded, sending him down through the air. Odianna pursued relentlessly, cocking a fist and thrust it down at him as he touched down on the ground. Goku raised a hand and caught the blow in his open palm, an shockwave rippling out from the impact.

He clenched his fist over her hand, turned, and threw her overhead and to the ground. He stepped forward and kicked her into the air before hitting her shoulder as she flew up, sending her sprawling through the air. Goku cupped his hands, charged a kamehameha, and fired it before she could recover into her unguarded back. It hit and exploded, sending her careening to the ring floor. She laid there for a moment, her energy tanking, before she slowly shook her head and rose to her feet, her energy starting to rise again.

"You know, if your trying to wear me down overtime, you ain't doin that good of a job," said Goku with amusement, "I've hardly lost any energy and you've lost a lot of yours a few times now."

Odianna rolled her eyes. "And...?"

Goku smirked. "If this is all you can do, then I could do this all day."

Odianna eyed him with disdain. "You know, for all Pan used to sing your praise, I would have thought you to be less of an idiot."

Goku raised an eyebrow. "How am I being an idiot?"

"You said you could do this all day, well, I could do this forever, and considering the gods gave these matches no time limit, I would be willing to. What part of immortal do you not understand? I will never tire out. I do not need to eat. I do not need to sleep, you however do," spat Odianna.

Goku opened his mouth to counter before it hit him that she was right. He closed his mouth and frowned. Huh... he had only considered her infinite fighting energy and ability to regenerate wounds. He never even gave a thought to normal bodily fatigue. That... was another angle to consider when fighting an immortal. Hmm...

Odianna slowly shook her head. "To be honest Saiyan, you're starting to bore me."

Goku narrowed his eyes, feeling a sting to his pride. "Am I? I mean, we haven't been fighting to long but I swear I've been kicking your butt most of this fight."

"You're point? You don't think almost all fights that I'm down in don't start this way before I eventually turn them around and win?" she said dryly.

He frowned, absorbing the information. "Okay, point taken. Why tell me then?"

She clenched and un-clenched her fists. "Because I want to fight you at your best. I want to take on and crush the absolute pinnacle of the Saiyan race. Nothing would bring me greater satisfaction than taking you down a peg."

Goku stared at her for a moment before chuckling. "You know, you kind of sound like a Saiyan at the moment."

Her face soured. "Shut your mouth and put up or get out of the ring."

Alright then, she wanted him to go all out? He'd oblige and show her the next level.

Goku decided to put on a bit of a show and throw his hands out to the side. "AHHHHHHH!"

He played out the transformation as if it were his first time, his energy slowly building, his hair lengthening inch by inch. With a final roar, he gave off a burst of power and went Super Saiyan 3.

He smirked at her. "Satisfied?"

She met his smirk with her own. "Hardly, aside from giving you ridiculous hair, Super Saiyan 3 doesn't seem so tough."

He was caught off-guard. What the... She didn't look surprised at all to see Super Saiyan 3. She _KNEW_ of it? But... none of the other Saiyans in her dimension were at that level. Kale * _might_ * be, but Aideen said he hadn't fought in the battle on Terra before the tournament, so Odianna couldn't have know about it from him. He turned his head and caught sight of the Saiyan's staring at him in disbelief, shock on their face, even Kale seemed a bit confused by his transformation, though not alarmed. Goku frowned at that, Odianna couldn't have learned of it from them, so where... wait...

His eyes flickered to Pan, who was watching the fight with her arms crossed and an irritated look on her face. Wait... no way... had Pan told her?! Was that it? Why would she have revealed their strengths to their opponents?! He was shocked, and felt hurt and betrayed. Even if she was mad at them, upset with them for some reason, that was no excuse to turn on them like that. He didn't understand, why? What was going on with Pan?

"Hmph, guess I'm going to have to pull out my trump card. Tell me Saiyan, what do you know of fire?" said Odianna, interrupted his thoughts.

Goku frowned, did she just say trump card? "Uh... it's hot?"

Odianna stared at him. "Gods... you are a moron."

Goku crossed his arms, inwardly preparing himself. "And your really rude, so get on with it."

Odianna canceled out her Hyper Kaio-Ken, returning to her base state before she ignited the regular Kaio-Ken. "Red, orange, the base fire."

She returned to the Hyper-Kaio-Ken, the blue aura igniting around her. "The blue flame, far more intense."

She clenched her fists and half crouched. "Tell me _Saiyan_!"

Her power began to spike wildly. "What fire burns hotter than the blue flame?"

The edges of her blue aura began to shift in color, turning white. Goku crossed his arms infront of him, skidding back as immense heat radiated off her, hot enough to faze him even at the third level. The veins all over her body budged, her body quaked, her hair and eyes starting to bleach.

She gave a scream of power and pain. "SUPER KAIO-KEN TIME FIFTY!"

 _BOOM!_

Her aura, hair, and body turned white and her power skyrocketed. Goku winced, bracing himself as it washed over him. A moment later, her aura condensed around her and her power steadied and plateaued. Goku lowered his arms and stared at her in astonishment. Super Kaio-Ken, a third level of Kaio-Ken... guess her time in the time chamber had worked out for her after all...

He shook off his stupor and refocused, gauging her power. It was ecstatic and uncontrolled, her ki almost felt sickly, she didn't seem used to this level of Kaio-Ken yet. It was a massive power, almost equal to Super Saiyan 3. However, even with that, he noted that her power was inching lower at a very small pace. His eyes flickered to her face, seeing the pain rolling over her. This ' _Super Kaio-Ken_ ' was unsustainable. Even for a lesser immortal she wouldn't be able to keep it up forever. He humored the idea of what would happen if a mortal tried to use it, jezz, they'd probably explode into a million pieces. Yuck, bad image.

He scratched his head. "You know, just because you can survive it doesn't mean you should use that technique. That looks like it hurts, a lot."

Odianna ground her teeth. "Save your concern for someone who cares."

Goku shrugged. "Your body your choice I guess. Can't imagine why'd you want to put yourself through that."

She glared at him. "Because I must. I don't have the luxury of living a peaceful live on some unnoticed backwater planet like your Earth must be. I must fight, I must improve to match you Saiyans, otherwise, everyone counting on me dies as they have been for almost half a century now."

Goku went silent at that, starting to feel a bit guilty about mocking her during the fight.

She spoke bitterly, "All the power you have now, and all the power your hiding. It may outstrip my own, but I will find a way to win, I must. I have a universe that's been wronged that I must right!"

Goku said nothing. Gods, way to take all the enjoyment out of a fight. Now he just felt scummy. There was nothing riding on him winning this, and everything for her planet riding on her needing to win. There were literally only five humans left on their planet, without the wish they'd be done. By what she had just said, he knew Pan had told her about Super Saiyan God, yet she was still willing to challenge him? Ugh... dammit, he just wanted to have good clean fun fights without anything riding on them! No end of the world or need to fix a mistake or revive someone or anything like that. Was that too much to ask of life?

He sighed, he couldn't bring himself to rob her world of its second chance. He wouldn't be able to live with himself, Pan would hate him for it too. That's probably why she had told Odianna about his transformations. It had to be, he remembered what Pan had wanted to wish for, for all of Terra to be revived. He could win and do the wish for Odianna, it would be a rather ironic turn, her world being saved by a Saiyan despite Saiyan's having destroyed it. But, he also knew Odianna would resent him for it till the day he died, blinded by her hate for Saiyans as she was. But, she wasn't a bad guy because of that, just an angry woman who had been through a life of hell. It would be best to let her do it. Ah well, wouldn't be the first time he threw a tournament.

He showed nothing of his intent and kept up his outward appearance. "Alright! Lets see how your third level of Kaio-Ken matches my third level of Super Saiyan!"

They blitzed one another, but to his surprise, she overshot her punch, allowing him to easily dodge to the side and counter, jabbing his fist into her rib-cage. Odianna went flying at the impact, wincing painfully. He hesitated, that was odd. Before he could think more of it, Odianna rushed at him, throwing a barrage of heavy punches, forfeiting all strategy and just trying to overwhelm him. Her punches were brutally powerful, but oddly spaced and timed, allowing him to easily turn them aside. Was she trying to trick him or something? Why was she suddenly so sloppy?

Odianna spun, smashing a leg towards his side. He caught it, wincing as he did at the impact, and spun, throwing her across the floor. She skidded along and flipped up to her feet, starting to breath heavily, the tole was starting to overwhelm her lesser immortality. He frowned, did she have any regulation of her power with this technique? She had it worse than first time Golden Freeza.

They rushed at eachother once more, connecting a fist each and unleashing shockwaves. Goku dropped to a knee and swept out her legs from underneath her, causing her to drop to the floor. He aimed a hand and unleashed a point blank blast of energy, sending her rocketing across the ring. She flipped head over heels and landed on her back, cringing.

Odianna shook her head, rose to her feet, and eyed him hatefully. Goku didn't return the look, and merely beckoned her with a hand. She shot a ki blast a the ground infront of him in response, releasing a cloud of residue energy that momentarily blinded him. She rushed blitzed him, rushing to the side and then coming at him through the cloud. He detected her coming and braced himself. However, to his surprise, she once again overshot her attack, missing with a kick and full-body barralling into him. They tumbled to the ground before they rolled away from eachother and sprang away. He looked at her with confusion, noticing she seemed frustrated and borderline embarrassed.

He played their fight since they had both gone to their respective third levels over in his mind before it hit him.

He smirked. "So, Odianna, let me ask you something."

She glared at him. "Shove it."

"Have you ever actually fought someone at this level of power before?" he questioned.

She said nothing, grinding her teeth. He definitely hit the nail on the head. She had absolutely no experience trying to fight with that kind of power, nor fighting against someone this strong. Adjusting timing for attacks, knowing how to regulate your energy, knowing how much speed to use or power to give, the more power you had, the more experience you needed to properly use it. If he had to guess, he was the first one she had ever used her Super Kaio-Ken against. This made throwing the fight a lot harder... ho boy...

He needed to get her to go completely all out; taunting time! "You ought to quit, I've had years of experience at this level of power. A novice won't stand a chance against me."

Odianna clenched her fists. "We'll see about that wont we!"

 _SPARK! CRACKLE!_

Goku gave a start and watched Odianna warily as her aura began to spike wildly. He frowned intently, feeling her power start to rise. What was she doing now?

Her body began to tremble. "Have you ever seen what happens when an immortal breaks their limits? When they go to a level never meant to be reached?"

Goku started to have a bad feeling in the pit of his stomach. Her ki was violently warping and making him feel ill.

She roared, she screamed with power and pain. "Super Kaio-Ken! TIMES ONE-HUNDRED!"

Goku's eyes went wide with shock. "Times WHAT?!"

He didn't have time to react as she buried her fist deep into his gut, making him spew blood. She slammed her other fist into his chest, sending him skidding along the ground like a ragdoll. Goku rolled as she came down and tried to bury fist through his body, springing away. She came at him again, her fist glowing with such power and moving with such speed he knew he'd never be able to move in time, and he wasn't sure he'd survive it. He'd either have to go god, or use the instant transmission to dodge. Throw the fight with god, continue it with transmission. In that second before she hit, he made his decision.

Goku dropped out of Super Saiyan 3 and went Super Saiyan Blue, catching her fist in his hand effortlessly. Odianna's eyes went wide with shock, and Goku acted, driving a fist into her gut and sending her flying across the ring where she lost her Super Kaio-Ken aura and collapsed.

Goku fake sighed. "Dang, looks like I had to go God. Oh well, guess I lose. I forfeit the match."

Odianna shakily rose to a knee. "W-what?!"

The Grand Priest looked down sharply and descended into the ring. "Son Goku, you wish to forfeit?"

Goku shrugged. "I made a bet that I could only go god against another god otherwise I automatically lose."

The Grand Priest gave him a look of disapproval. "An unsanctioned bet, however, there are no rules against one. Very well. Son Goku forfeits the match and Odianna from Dimension 1 is the winner."

Goku flew back over to his area. "Welp, I'm out."

Vegeta looked like he wanted to throttle him. "KAKAROT! Seriously?"

"What? We made a bet!" whined Goku.

Vegeta growled at him. "You coward, using a bet to dodge our fight! I was going to crush you in the finals with ten Dimensions as my witness!"

Goku rolled his eyes. "Sure you were, just remember, you agreed to the bet too and I wont let you live it down if you break it."

Vegeta's eyes twitched. "You're trying to get me to lose on purpose!"

Goku smiled and turned his head, watching Odianna flying back to her area. His eyes stopped and were caught on the Saiyans of Dimension 2, they were ALL staring at him silently. Kale seemed pleased, the other five Saiyans looked at him with a strange hunger in their eyes. It was bizarre, they didn't look surprised like they were with Super Saiyan 3. Strange. He shook off the thought and turned, walking over towards Odianna.

Goku held out his hand over the divider towards Odianna to hand-shake. "It was a good fight. I know you may not like me, but for what its worth, I hope you win the tournament and revive everyone who was killed by the Saiyans."

Odianna stared at his outstretched hand silently for a moment before she raised her eyes to meet his. "Why would I waste my wish on reviving the human race?"

Goku blanked for a moment. Did she really... just say that?

Pan looked up at Odianna, confused. "W-waste?!"

Odianna grew scornful. "What? You really think I'd revive the human race just so the Saiyans could kill them all again? Oh I'm sure they'd love that. No, I have a much better idea. I'm going to use the wish to exterminate all Saiyans in my Dimension. Every. Single. One."

Goku lowered his hand, looking at her, mortified. "You..."

He couldn't believe it. She hadn't asked for it, but he had thrown the fight for _THIS_ woman?! She was going to wipe out an entire universe worth of Saiyans, the majority of which never even touched her planet? Gods... he felt sickened... no, more than sickened, he was enraged.

Goku forced himself to speak in a dead even tone. "Odianna, I guess I was wrong about you."

Goku turned, walked over to Vegeta, and spoke, no longer able to keep the anger out of his voice. "Our bet is _**OFF**_ , go full force and win the tournament."

"Hmph, asking me to clean up your mess? Fine, but you owe me," said Vegeta with scorn.

"Now!" Would Vegeta from Dimension 1 and Kale from Dimension 2 please enter the ring!" shouted the Grand Priest.

Vegeta and Kale flew to the opposite ends of the ring and turned to face one another.

"Begin!" shouted the Grand Priest.

Neither moved.

Kale smiled, a pleased look on his face. "Here we stand, at long last. An Emperor and a Prince, a battle of royal blood. But even more than that, it may be a worthy fight. Tell me, can you become a Saiyan God as well?"

Vegeta narrowed his eyes and turned Super Saiyan Blue. "As you can see, I can."

Goku stared at Kale, his anger over his fight with Odianna vanishing, replaced with concern. Kale didn't seem surprised by the God Transformation, in fact... he looked eager. An uneasy feeling began to fill Goku's stomach. If Kale wasn't surprised by the transformation, then he knew of it. The only way he could know of it was if he had encountered a Saiyan God before... or...

Kale spread his arms to the side, slightly infront of him, as if to welcome Vegeta into a brotherly embrace. "ALL shall see! In a battle between us, who is the worthy ruler of the Saiyan Race, the true Emperor? Who is the strongest between us? Who is the one _**TRUE GOD**_ of the Saiyan Race?"

 _WOOSH! BOOOM!_

In an explosion of blue energy, Kale ascended to Super Saiyan Blue. "NOW! I shall prove myself worthy of royalty by defeating another of royal blood! After, I shall crush an immortal to claim immortality as my wish, and with it, I shall rule our race and spread our kind throughout all Dimensions!"

Goku lost all color in his face, there had been hints Kale was stronger than Super Saiyan 2, but he was blue?!

Crap, they were both of comparable power, there was no guarantee who was going to win. "Come on Vegeta... you have to win this!"

"He better win dad, otherwise, you just gave Kale a free pass at getting immortality by forfeiting your match," said Gohan scornfully.

Goku winced at that. There was no real defense he could say to change how true that was...

Kale cracked his neck to the left, and then cracked it to the right. "Are you ready to face a true Saiyan God?"

Vegeta placed one clawed fist up infront of his forehead, once closed fist off to his side, and half crouched. "Are you?"

Kale grinned and aimed a hand, unleashing a beam of energy. "Tracer Beam!"

Vegeta sprang up above the blast and rushed at Kale. However, the beam Kale fired began to curve through the air and follow Vegeta. The Saiyan Prince attacked the Saiyan Emperor, swinging a fist down at his forehead from above. Kale caught the blow and kicked Vegeta backwards towards the beam trailing him. Vegeta and the beam connected with one another, causing an explosion and sending Vegeta to the ground.

Vegeta rolled and sprang up, an irritated look on his face.

Kale aimed a hand and began to fire more Tracer Beams, Vegeta dodged them and noted this time that they were trailing him. He turned and swung his hand, unleashing ki blasts that hit the oncoming beams and blew them out of the sky.

Kale came from behind as he did so and smashed a lag into Vegeta's back, kicking him through the air. Vegeta ground his teeth and shot off into the air, coming to a stop high above and cupping his hands to his side.

"Galick gun FIRE!" roared Vegeta.

Kale smirked at the oncoming energy before putting two fingers to his forehead and vanishing, dodging the energy beam. He reappeared behind Vegeta via Instant Transmission and placed a hand against his back before releasing a beam of energy point blank.

Vegeta gave a cry of pain as he was blasted forward and into the barrier before the energy exploded. Vegeta fell out of the energy residue of the explosion and managed to right himself in time to land on his feet on the floor. He staggered a bit, a hand going to a now visible, bruised, and bloody hole in the back of his armor. Vegeta's back, visible through the hole, was burned, scrapped up, and leaking a lot of blood.

Goku could have sworn aloud. That's right, Kale had Instant Transmission, he used it to dodge Pan's Super Kamehameha during their fight. That unguarded hit Kale got off... that looked like it was a mess, Vegeta had to be hurting already, and the fight had barely begun.

Kale landed on the ring floor a ways from Vegeta. "Come Prince, show me your true mettle!"

Vegeta narrowed his eyes. "You wish to see my might? Then fight me directly! No fancy teleportation tricks."

Kale smirked. "Oh? Does the Prince admit a weakness?"

Kale Instant Transmissioned behind Vegeta, swept his legs out from under him, and jabbed an elbow into Vegeta's face as he fell, bloodying his nose. Vegeta cursed and sprang away. He collided with Kale, who had teleported again. Kale wrapped Vegeta in a bear hug, lifting him up and off the ground, before his arms began to constrict.

There was the sound of groaning and creaking bones followed by a pained cry of Vegeta. The Saiyan Prince ground his teeth and aimed a hand down at Kale's foot.

"Big Bang Attack!" roared Vegeta.

The energy blast shot down and exploded. Kale gave a roar of pain and staggered, letting go of Vegeta. The Saiyan Prince sprung up, spun, and slammed a leg into the side of Kale's head, sending him flying and skidding along the ground.

Goku nodded with approval, sighting that Kale's foot and leg had been damaged. "Nice one Vegeta!"

Kale rose to his feet and levitated into the air. "Well played Prince. Perhaps it's time then to show you why I am EMPEROR!"

Kale teleported infront of Vegeta and socked him in the face before he could react. He teleported again before Vegeta could counter, appearing behind him and smashing a fist into his shoulder. Vegeta staggered, spun, and threw out a ki blast, but Kale had already teleported and attacked Vegeta from behind, slamming a fist into Vegeta's already damaged back. Vegeta gave a grunt of pain and staggered forward, cursing silently to himself.

Goku watched, feeling grim, as Kale seamlessly picked Vegeta apart. The Emperor was weaving the Instant Transmission into his battle strategy like it was child's play. This wasn't looking good...

Vegeta crashed to the ground and laid there for a moment, breathing heavily in and out, before he forced himself to his feet, spitting out a bit of blood. "Hmph, is that all you've got?"

Kale smirked. "No, not at all."

Kale held up a hand into the air, and ki flowed out of it, creating a giant ball of energy. "Crusher Storm!"

Kale threw the massive energy ball into the center of the arena where it exploded, sending ki blasts in every direction. Kale could dodge them via his teleportation, Vegeta however could only dodge manually, and even he could not dodge all of them. He didn't even try, he crossed his arms and channeled his ki, bracing himself as a torrent of them washed over him.

Goku briefly lost any sight of the ring as the ki blasts all exploded. When it cleared, Vegeta still stood, though, his arms were torn up and bloody.

Kale seemed amused. "I believe its your turn now, Prince."

Vegeta scoffed. "I'm not such a fool as to let you goad me into wasting more energy into an attack you will simply teleport out of."

Kale pondered his words briefly before descending to the ground and bracing himself. "Come then! On my honor, give me your most powerful attack and I shall conquer it!"

Vegeta studied him briefly before smirking. "As you wish."

Vegeta threw his arms to his side, gathering huge amount's of energy. "Final..."

He brought them together and unleashed the energy. "...FLASH!"

The energy ripped through the air straight for Kale. The Saiyan Emperor tensed and thrust his arms forward, palms spread out.

"COME TO ME!" Kale roared, eagerly awaiting the attack.

The energy wave hit his hands and exploded, engulfing the entire arena in bright lights. Goku watched with disbelief, Kale had actually taken that head on. Even with his defenses up and braced, that was going to leave his marks. And true enough, when the energy settled, he was right.

Kale still stood, arms outstretched; His hands, arms, chest, and even his baggy pants, were torn and shredded, leaking blood. "Impressive."

Kale lowered his hands. "Most impressive."

Vegeta descended to the floor studying Kale. "I'll give you credit where it is due, not many could tank that head on and live, let alone come out standing."

Kale grinned. "But of course."

Kale dusted himself off. "You know, I'd ask you to return the favor and dare you to take on my most powerful attack, but, I don't think I need to. If that was your best shot, your barely worth my time."

Vegeta's eyes twitched and shined with rage. "Barely worth your time am I?!"

The Saiyan Prince burst forward and drove a knee into Kale's chest, sending him flying back before pursueing him. Kale teleported, appearing to the side of Vegeta and striking for his head.

Vegeta's hand sprang up and caught it. "Not this time!"

Vegeta latched onto Kale's arm and spun, throwing him to the ground before aiming a hand. "Big Bang Attack!"

The energy blast surged out at the momentarily downed Saiyan. Rather than teleport, this time, Kale simply rose to his feet and punched the blast aside. He teleported behind Vegeta and aimed a punch for Vegeta's wound.

Vegeta was already spinning and caught the punch. "You use that trick to much fool! Your getting predictable!"

Kale frowned briefly. "Hmm."

Kale teleported again spinning and aiming a kick for Vegeta's head, only for him to bring a hand up as he ducked to push the blow away. Kale teleported away, going to the far end of the arena to study Vegeta at a distance.

Goku had to give Vegeta credit, he was adapting to fighting against the Instant Transmission very quickly.

Kale looked a bit disgruntled. "It's a shame really, that's my more favored fighting style. Most opponents back when I first learned it never saw it coming."

Vegeta lifted his chin up, a smug look on his face. "I AM not like most opponents."

Kale cracked his knuckles. "No, I suppose your not. Perhaps you are worthy of your royal blood, but, then again, so am I."

Kale teleported forward and then blitzed Vegeta, swinging a massive blow. Vegeta raised his arm and blocked it, wincing at the hit. Kale vanished and reappeared behind Vegeta. The Saiyan Prince turned and made to block an attack, only for Kale's attack to faze through him, an afterimage. The real Kale reappeared right where he had been and slammed a fist into Vegeta's wounded back, causing him to scream in pain and stagger forward, collapsing to a knee.

Kale chuckled. "The Faze Walk Afterimage, no opponent ever sees that one coming. Tell me Prince, do you approve of it?"

Vegeta shakily rose to his feet, shooting Kale an annoyed look. "Faze Walk? We call it the Instant Transmission."

Kale gave him a look of disapproval. "I prefer my name for the technique."

Vegeta gave him an annoyed look. "You talk to much."

Kale mocked him. "When you refuse to present me with a proper challenge, what else am I to do?"

Vegeta's eyes twitched with rage. "You little..."

"Oh boy, that guy really knows how to push Vegeta's buttons," murmured Goku.

Kale beckoned the Prince forward. "Come to me!"

Vegeta narrowed his eyes. "Enough talk! Enough games! We fight to the END!"

Kale grinned wickedly. "As you wish."

They burst forward at eachother. There was no teleportation, no ki attacks, no afterimages, nothing anymore but a pure, raw, brawl. The let into eachother, punching, dodging, blocking, and countering one another in a barely visible flurry.

"Dad, which one do you think's gonna win?" asked Gotten.

Goku was silent for a moment. "There both wounded, but..."

"Dad's totally going to wreck that guy!" interrupted Trunks.

Goku kept quiet. He desperately hoped Vegeta could pull out a win, but he was noting the clear signs of fatigue, brought to the forefront from the straight up slugfest the two Saiyan royals were now in. Vegeta's blows were slowing, his blocks less accurate, the attacks he did land less painful. Kale was slowing as well, but, not at the same speed. Kale didn't have a huge ki-burn in his back that had been leaking blood the entire fight, Vegeta did. All Kale took from Vegeta's Final Flash was superficial wounds, in fact, Vegeta's earlier Big Bang Attack at the Emperor's foot did more damage...

Wait, yes! That was it! Kale was favoring that foot, his right one. If Vegeta pressed that to his advantage, he could even the odds. All he needed was one good heavy attack to slip by Kale's defenses to balance the fight. Goku watched as minutes dragged by, allowing both Vegeta and Kale to rough eachother up even more than they were, yet, Vegeta did not pounce on the obvious advantage. In fact, it almost looked...

"Oh, that's clever," murmured Goku.

"He's avoiding the weakness intentionally," said Gohan.

Goku raised an eyebrow. "I'm surprised you saw it."

Gohan shot him an annoyed look. "Dad, I might not train or practice as much as you guys do, but I'm not _that_ rusty."

"So when do you think he's going to act on it?" asked Goku.

"When it will win him the fight," said Gohan.

Goku gave him a nod of approval and returned to watching the fight. It was a ' _very_ ' rare experience to get to watch two Super Saiyan Gods fight and watch as an observer. He had already learned so much about Kale's fighting style. He had an itch to learn how to use the Instant Transmission like that. He himself rarely used the teleportation technique in battle, it took a lot of effort and concentration to pull it off mid-fight once, yet Kale did it seamlessly multiple times in a row. Not to mention... wait... THERE!

Kale swung a heavy blow towards Vegeta's face. Vegeta ducked and lashed out with his foot, smashing it into Kale's leg with and causing him to stagger. Vegeta elbowed forward as Kale staggered, taking the Emperor on his back and throwing him backwards. He turned to aim a hand charging a deadly ki blast at the Emperor that would change the fight, but he was gone!

Kale reappeared behind Vegeta, a smirk on his face, still using the momentum of Vegeta's throw, and slammed an elbow into the Prince's wound, causing him to scream. They both toppled to the ground, but it was Kale who was on top, pinning Vegeta face-down. Goku cringed at the sight, Kale had expected the attack and used it to his advantage.

"Nice try, but going after the leg was obvious," taunted Kale, "Unlike I, where going after your wound again and again is a strategic choice. Now, speaking of which..."

Kale raised a fist and slammed it down into the wound on Vegeta's back, causing a scream of pain. Then another, then another, then another. Finally, Kale stopped, rose to his feet, grabbed Vegeta's right knee, and neck, and lifted him up into the air.

"You fought well Vegeta, but where you are a Prince, I am an Emperor. Where you are but one with god ki, I am the TRUE SAIYAN GOD!" roared Kale.

Kale knelt forward and brought Vegeta's wounded back down upon his knee with an crunch. Goku trembled as Vegeta's hair turned back to normal and his aura faded with an agonizing scream. Kale lifted him up, and threw him to the ground where he laid there, unmoving.

Thirty seconds later, the Grand Priest announced, "Kale from Dimension 2 is the winner!"

Goku was horrified. Vegeta had lost his fight. The only two fighters left were one who wanted to commit universal genocide of the Saiyan race and one who wanted to wish for immortality in order to eventually conquer every dimension. He would have been able to beat Kale with the Kaio-Ken as a Super Saiyan Blue, but he had thrown his fight. No matter who won the finals, it would be his fault. Gods... what had he done by throwing his fight? What had he done?

* * *

 ** _Author's Notes:_**

 _Goku tries to be the good guy, tries to be a hero, and for once, it backfires, maaaajorlyyy._

 _So yeah, I went there. Goku threw the fight (foolishly I might add, he should have known better considering who he was fighting against) and Vegeta straight up lost. Try not to kill me, I had this planned and set up from the beginning of the tournament with that bet of his. The reason(s)?_

 _ **One** : A story where the good-guys always pull out a victory in every situation is a bore to me. No matter who wins the next round, Kale or Odianna, a bad outcome is going to come out of the tournament, and its all Goku's fault to boot! _

_**Two** : __I need a conflict to use later on. Its not as easy as you'd think to keep imagining enemies and battles to fight, honestly with this tournament some of the fighters/fights made me think I was pulling pure random shit out of my ass, I need something concrete to keep going with._ _I think we all know who between Kale and Odianna, a Super Saiyan God or a Super Saiyan 3 tiered fighter, is going to win, which sets for further conflict down the road between an Immortal Saiyan God and our heroes._

 _On the note of Super Kaio-Ken: I found conflicting information as to whether or not a white fire was hotter than a blue one, so I just went with it._

 _As a note for those who skimmed the 'Little Girl Lost' chapter. Pan did not directly tell Odianna about Goku's additional transformations, the woman picked up on them while browsing through Pan's memories. So, Goku is mistaken about the 'betrayal', however, that's the point. Now both sides are wrongly upset with one another, and things are getting ready to spiral out of control._

 _After the end of this arc (next chapter), the next arc is going to be a complete and chaotic disastrous mess. It will be glorious, and the pinnacle of Potara - A Sorrow Beyond Divinity._


	47. Finality

_**Potara - Chapter 47: Finality**_

* * *

Pan didn't know what to say, do, or even think. The impossible had just happened. Grandfather and Vegeta were both out of the tournament. Grandfather had forfeited his fight to honor his bet, and Vegeta had been beaten. Kale, the Saiyan Emperor, was a Super Saiyan God. The Saiyan Empire had a god, that... that changed everything.

He had announced his intentions to wish for immortality, and the only thing between him and it was Odianna. But... Pan had seen how Grandfather had easily bested Odianna even at a Super Kaio-Ken x100 with just one punch in his god form. What... what could she possibly do against the Saiyan Emperor?!

Pan turned worriedly to Odianna. "B-big sis... this is bad..."

Odianna said nothing, her face grim.

"You have to beat him! You have to find a way!" Pan pleaded despairingly.

"There will be no break between the semi-final and final rounds. Now, for the final match of the tournament! Would Odianna from Dimension 2 and Kale from Dimension 2 please enter the ring!" shouted the Grant Priest.

No... there wasn't even time to try and come up with a strategy! She watched, an awful feeling forming in the pit of her stomach, as Odianna took off and made for the ring. Both her and Kale moved to the opposite ends and waited.

"Let the final match, begin!" shouted the Grand Priest.

Kale crossed his arms. "I've been waiting for this for a long time. Do you know, woman, that legends are spoken of the world of Terra? Of their so-called ' _undefeatable champion_ '? Its the dream of every Saiyan whelp to be the one to take that champion, to take _you_ down, and avenge the pride and honor of the Saiyan race."

He smirked. "You've slayed thousands of us over the years, spit in the face of our own Super Saiyan legends by killing them, and even now, seek to exterminate our entire species."

Odianna glared at him. "You're point? Anything you lay at my feet can be laid right back at you'res! None of that would have happened had you damn Saiyan's never set foot on Terra!"

Kale laughed. "You misunderstand, I do not hate you for it, in fact, I relish the challenge you have given our race. You are the source of our power."

Odianna had a blank look on her face.

Kale smiled. "Had you never attained immortality and rose to power to challenge us, we would never have re-discovered the legendary power of the Super Saiyan, ascended beyond it, and I never would have sought out divine instruction in order to unify the Saiyan Race. We Saiyans only grow through conflict and trial, and you have given that to us in more ways than one for almost half a century. For that, I thank you."

Odianna spit in his direction. "You Saiyan's and your twisted ass backwards logic."

Kale barred his teeth. "You deny it? Even now you've pushed us to a final battle. Here I shall claim final victory over you, claim immortality, remove your immortality and kill you after the tournament, restoring half a centuries worth of lost honor and pride, then claim rightful unchallengable rule over my kind in order to lead us forever into the final frontier of endless Dimensions!"

Pan's face went pure white. Remove Odianna's immortality?! Oh gods, a wish had granted it to her, a wish could take it away...

Odianna raised an eyebrow. "You Saiyan's really like to hear yourselves talk, you know that? Hate to break it to you, actually, I do, but, your not going to be able to get what you want even if you beat me here."

Kale smirked. "Oh? And why is that?"

"You get one wish. You can either wish for immortality, or wish for mine to be removed, not both," said Odianna with confidence."

Kale threw back his head and laughed. "Hahahahahaha!"

Kale gave her a sickeningly sweet smile filled with malice. "I thought that too, until the idea came to me when you were fighting Son Goku."

Odianna's confidence momentarily fell. "What idea?"

"My wish will be for your immortality to be transferred from you and onto me. You lose immortality, I gain it," answered Kale, a wicked gleam in his eye.

Odianna's face paled. "..."

"Oh no," whispered Pan.

She saw it, she saw something she had _NEVER_ seen on Odianna's face before. She saw fear.

Kale clenched his fists and ascended to Super Saiyan Blue. "It is TIME!"

"Super Kaio-Ken times one-hundred," cried out Odianna.

Kale closed the distance in a blink of an eye and embedded his fist into Odianna's stomach, knocking her out of the Super Kaio-Ken and to the ground. One hit, and her energy went basically to zero. Odianna laid there, shivering in pain.

"You, and your friends, will be taken back to Terra and slain, and the last human life in our Dimension shall be snuffed out," said Kale cruelly.

He picked up and threw Odianna across the ring, slamming her body into the ring barrier directly infront of the Dimension 2 area. Odianna slid to the floor as Kale stalked forward. She shook her head, rose to her feet, and stared straight at Pan. She pointed to Aideen, then pointed to Dimension 1's area and mouthed 'take her'.

She saw it. The defeat in Odianna's eyes. There was absolutely nothing she could do against a Saiyan god. If Aideen and the other's weren't protected, they'd be taken and killed after the fight. She latched onto Aideen's hand and dragged her to the divider.

"C'mon!" said Pan.

Aideen hesitated. "But..."

"No buts!" said Pan, climbing over the divider and basically dragging Aideen with her.

She ran up to her Grandfather. "Grandfather!"

He turned, and to her surprise, shot her a cold look. "What is it Pan?"

She hesitated briefly, not understanding the cold look, the smoldering anger and hurt in his eyes. "We have to take Aideen and the other's back with us, otherwise they'll be killed!"

For a moment, to her astonishment, it almost looked like he would refuse, before he sighed. "Fine, I'll tell Piccolo to move the other three to our Dimension's spectator area."

Goku closed his eyes briefly, tilting his head and Pan turned to see Piccolo take off.

Goku opened and narrowed his eyes. "However Pan, we need to talk after this tournament. You had no excuse to betray us by telling your ' _big sis_ ' about my transformations."

She stared at him in disbelief. "I... what?"

Goku turned around and resumed watching the fight. Pan stared at him, stricken. She looked around, but no one was even looking at her, they were intentionally looking away. She felt shunned and dejected all the sudden, completely and utterly alone. Oh gods... it hurt so much...

"I...," she began, her voice choking.

She couldn't find the strength to speak, and merely moved back to stand next to Aideen, who shot her a questioning look. "I didn't... I didn't do it..."

It wasn't fair! She hadn't told Odianna! The woman had merely stumbled over the memories when she was saving Pan's life! Stumbled over them doing something her own family should have been doing! Instead, they were standing out here having the time of her life in a tournament while she had tried to kill herself and had a mental breakdown because someone had attacked her mind! It wasn't right!

Her rage spiked, and it took everything she had not to lash out at them. She had been right after all, she remembered thinking they would abandon her after the fight with Coli, and she was right! They didn't trust her, they didn't believe in her! Screw them... just... screw them! She shook with anger and stared at her Grandfather's back, feeling an emotion she had never felt towards him before: _Hate_.

She looked back to the right, sighting the terrifying sight of Kale holding Odianna up by her throat. "Pitiful. Almost half a century you stood against the Saiyans, now, how easily now you fall before a god."

He brought her face down into his knee, causing an audible ' _CRACK_ '. Pan squealed in distress, seeing Odianna's head cave in. Kale tossed her aside and shook his head in disappointment.

"What I shame, I had fantasized about this moment for years, yet, it leaves me wanting so much more," said Kale with distaste.

Odianna didn't heal in time before the thirty seconds were up.

"Kale from Dimension 2 is the winner of the first Dimensional Tournament!" shouted the Grand Priest.

If he were expecting applause, he received none. No one had a high opinion of the Saiyans after seeing their brutality in the tournament.

The Grand Priest waved his hand and healed Odianna before turning to Kale. "You may make your request of the Omni-Kings."

Kale threw his hands up high into the sky. "Great and powerful Omni-Kings! I humble request that the immortality of the human Odianna be taken from her and granted onto me!"

One of the Omni-Kings waved his hand, and it was done. A pillar of light erupted from Odianna, causing her to scream as it left her. It rose into the air, condensed into a ball, and rained down on Kale, who started laughing almost hysterically.

Pan trembled, feeling sickened and scared. A Super Saiyan God was one thing, an lesser Immortal Super Saiyan God was something else entirely. If he came after their Dimension, what the hell were they supposed to do against that?!

Kale bowed gracefully to the Omni-Kings. "I thank you."

Kale took three powerful strides, closed the distance between himself and a dazed Odianna, hauled her up, and threw her out of the ring to his fellow Saiyan's who caught her and latched onto her arms, keeping her in place.

The Grand Priest floated into the air and addressed the gathering. "This concludes the Dimensional Tournament. Have a pleasant day."

Pan couldn't believe it, the gods, they didn't give a damn whatsoever about what was going on! Did they really not care?!

The arena started emptying at a rapid pace, gods and mortal's alike leaving. Pan watched, mortified, as the Saiyan's started dragging Odianna away.

Kale gave a curt nod towards Vegeta. "The taunts and mocks of battle aside Prince Vegeta, you impressed me. I'm more than willing to extend an... offer of diplomacy between our dimensions. I have work to do back home first before I send an official envoy to your Dimension."

With that, Kale turned and followed his fellow Saiyans out.

No... no no no no! She couldn't let this happen! Pan ran down her hallway, making for the exit.

"Pan! Stop!" came Goku's warning.

Pan didn't care, she didn't stop, she ran out and spotted the Saiyans heading for the north-hallway out of their portal room. "STOP!"

Kale turned. "You desire something of us?"

Pan ascended to Super Saiyan 2. "Let. Her. Go!"

Kale raised an eyebrow, a flicker of blue divine ki showing around him. "Perhaps I misheard you. Did I just hear you attempt to give an order to your god?"

"Pan stop!" said Goku, coming up behind her and putting a hand on her shoulder.

She turned and glared at him. "Whats wrong with you?! Your supposed to be a hero! We can't just let her go! She'll be killed!"

Goku flinched. "Pan..."

There was a pattering of feet as Gohan and Vegeta came up behind them.

Kale narrowed his eyes. "I am willing to overlook the other four humans of Terra that you took with you, but if you attempt to take this prize from me, all diplomacy is off, I will crush your family, and take your human world for my own."

Pan desperately looked at Goku, then Gohan, then Vegeta, they were all silent, grim looks on their face. No no no no no... they couldn't... they were supposed to be heroes! She knew how bad it was, to try to take on an immortal Saiyan God who led an entire empire, but, they had to do something!

"Pan, just go, don't throw your life away," came a quiet, tired voice of Odianna.

Pan looked at her, stricken. "No... NO I refuse!"

Odianna gave her a grim look and shook her head.

Goku put both his hands on Pan's shoulder, tapping into a bit of his power to keep her in place. "Pan..."

No... Odianna... she was going to die... big sis was going to die... and she was going to be all alone, no no no no NO!

Pan trembled in raw fear at the thought, a soft green glow surrounding her body...

* * *

Goku's eyes went wide, sighting Pan's green power beginning to ignite, and Pan's ki began to fluctuate in a strange way. It was the first time she had tapped into this power since she had awoken from her coma, and it felt _different_. It felt... _dangerous_.

An image flashed through his mind, of the near mad Pan who had utterly butchered Zamasu and Black. That couldn't be allowed to happen, not here. It would be a complete and utter bloodbath, innocents would die, the gods would probably get involved. It would be a disaster that could cost Pan her life.

He narrowed his eyes, tapped into his god ki, chopping a hand into the back of Pan's neck and knocked her out before she could awaken the power. He caught her as she fell and then handed her to Gohan.

Kale raised an eyebrow at that. "A curious energy. It would seem hybrids are even more... spectacular... than I thought."

Kale eyed Goku. "I'll forgive your granddaughter's transgression. When next we meet, you would do well to keep her in line."

Goku said nothing. In truth, while he disliked, borderline ' _hated_ ' Odianna for their battle earlier and for what the woman had once done to Pan, he didn't want to leave her to die. However, he wasn't as stupid as people liked to tease him about. Kale was an immortal Super Saiyan God, he led an entire empire that had perhaps thousand's of Super Saiyans scattered around the Dimension if what he had learned from Pan's memories were true, and even more regular Saiyans. If he started a fight between their dimensions, even with him, Vegeta, and Gohan as three Super Saiyan Gods, they would get overwhelmed and slaughtered. He didn't trust that actual gods would interfere on their behalf. There was... no choice. He wouldn't throw the lives of his family and friends away for some hateful, spiteful woman that would rather see them dead.

He watched the Saiyans leave, a heavy sadness in his heart. It wasn't often he failed, but, he had certainly done so here, with this tournament. Nothing had gone right by the end of it. Pan had gone ballistic at one point, abruptly changed her attitude, and betrayed their trust. He himself had found his morals and beliefs betrayed by putting trust into Odianna, only to have the woman fling them back in his face with her desires to wipe out an entire universe of Saiyans. On top of all of that, a Saiyan Emperor was now an Immortal Saiyan God. Ugh... everything that had gone wrong, did go wrong. The only thing temporarily looking up for them was that Kale didn't seem interested in killing them.

"She's going to hate you for it," a voice murmured behind them.

Goku turned his head to see Aideen hanging back, an uncertain look on her face. "There's nothing we could do, I'm sorry."

Aideen sighed and spoke with a pained voice. "I know. Odianna gave her the order to go, there's... nothing more to be said."

There was a pattering of feet as the rest of the Z-Fighter's joined up with them, most of them giving the unconscious Pan a curious look.

Bulma stepped up to Aideen and put a hand on her shoulder. "So, Piccolo told us were taking you and three of your friends back with us. Don't worry, I'll get you all situated with homes and hopefully see about getting you jobs."

Aideen hesitated momentarily. "Pan said that your planet isn't... ruined... is that true?"

Bulma smiled. "It is, c'mon, your going to be in for a surprise."

"Well, if you... hey hey!" exclaimed Aideen as Bulma basically began to drag her along back to their portal area.

Goku smiled softly, eyeing Aideen and the three other survivors, a woman, a girl, and a boy. At least someone got a happy ending out of all of this mess. Innocents didn't deserve to be led to a slaughter.

He gave a sigh as the Z-fighters began to move, turning to Gohan. "So, what are we going to do about Pan?"

Gohan gave his unconscious daughter a helpless look. "I... really don't know. For now, let's just get her home and to bed. We will deal with her tomorrow, its been a long day."

Goku nodded, momentarily handing back to talk with Vegeta. "You have any ideas of what to do about Kale and his Empire?"

There was a level of warning in Vegeta's voice. "I assume you understand just how dangerous this actually is?"

Goku nodded. "I have a hunch that one immortal god and an army of thousands of Super Saiyans could beat us."

Vegeta scoffed. "That's only the tip of the iceberg Kakarot. You really have no idea what were up against if we come into conflict with them. Think of Kale's 'Hands'. Each of them is already nearing the upper limit of Super Saiyan 2. How much longer will it be before they become Gods? Five years? A decade? How quickly is the power of the Saiyan race as a whole in their Dimension going to climb now that it has access to other Dimensions to fight?"

Goku frowned intently. "Oh..."

Vegeta pointed a finger at Goku. "YOU clown, and your family, will do NOTHING to risk a conflict between our dimensions. When his envoy eventually comes, I will deal with the situation and diplomacy. I have the experience and knowledge of our customs to do so. Starting an unwinnable war with them would be the last thing we ever do. And even though I no longer follow that way of Saiyan life anymore, I don't personally want to have to fight and murder my own kind."

Goku nodded. "I understand."

Vegeta walked passed. "Then lets be on our way."

* * *

Whis, Beerus, Shin, Kabito, the two Omni-Kings, and the Grand Priest floated high above the stadium, looking down at the departing group of Son Goku and his friends.

Whis pondered what he had just seen. That green power engulfing Pan was unlike anything he had ever seen in his long life. It actually... made him feel endangered. They had all sensed it, all felt it, and when the Omni-Kings had seen that green energy flicker around Pan, they were shocked. They still hadn't spoken. But Whis had seen a flicker of recognition in their eyes. Whatever that power Pan had, they clearly knew what it was.

The left Omni-King turned to the right one. "Pan-Chan shouldn't have that power."

The right Omni-King shook his head. "She shouldn't have that power at all. It should be removed from her. It's to dangerous."

The Grand Priest tilted his head. "If I may humbly ask, what is that energy?"

The Omni-Kings didn't answer; The Grand Priest showed no agitation nor indignation and merely bowed his head. "Forgive my pestering."

Whis frowned. "Omni-Kings."

They turned to him. "Yes?"

"This could be a... delicate mater," said Whis with hesitation, "Neither Pan, nor Son Goku, would approve of one's power being taken from them."

Beerus crossed his arms. "I don't know, Son Goku might understand if it's explained to him. He'd whine, but he'd put up with it."

"And Son Pan? Would she forgive someone doing that to her?" asked Whis.

The right Omni-King did not look pleased. "Hrm... Pan-Chan would be really mad with us. But, that power is to dangerous for a mortal to handle, even for most gods and angels."

Whis showed no emotion, but the fact that Pan somehow had a power than was a danger to gods and angels made him a bit... concerned. "How could she have obtained such power?"

The left Omni-King answered, "Son Goku's wish, when Pan was pulled through the forming portal. She must have absorbed some of its energy."

The right Omni-King sighed. "We can't let her keep the energy, it must be removed, but, we don't want Pan-Chan to be mad at us."

The right Omni-King turned to Whis. "I will teach you a technique to extract the power from Pan, but, you must be discrete about it. I don't want Pan to know what's being done. I don't like doing so, but if you can trick Pan into letting you use the technique on her, then do so."

Whis bowed his head. "As you wish."

Another Omni-King from a different Dimension approached. "So, which one of you is coming for the tour?"

The left Omni-Kings downcast disposition immediately brightened. "Oh! Me!"

Whis raised an eyebrow. One of the Omni-Kings was leaving to go on a dimensional tour? "If I may be so bold as to ask, how long will you be gone for?"

The left Omni-King held up his fingers and counted for a moment. "Umm... five hundred centuries would be a short tour. Then I'll come back and swap."

The left Omni-King turned to the right one and nodded his head. "I'll trust you to manage things back home."

The right Omni-King nodded. "Yes yes. I look forward to hearing your stories about other Dimensions when you get back!"

Whis watched as the left Omni-King, the one from the future if Whis remembered correctly, left with a group of Omni-Kings. So, they once again found themselves with one Omni-King. Hmm, he supposed that it really didn't matter to much.

But what did matter was the question: How was he going to remove this 'green' energy from Pan without alerting her?

* * *

Towa carefully slipped out of the arena, placing her strongest illusion spell over her body. "It seems I'll have to make a move after all."

They gods were moving to take away Towa's only potential weapon against them from her. She couldn't let that happen, especially since the Omni-Kings themselves had confirmed that it could potentially challenge Gods of Destruction and Angels. With one of the Omni-Kings away, this was the best chance to topple the gods. But for that, she needed Pan's power.

And speaking of that power, Towa finally had an idea of how it was triggered. Having peered through Pan's memories while Odianna was doing so, she had seen every instance of her use of it. Fear, it was FEAR, the pure raw emotion at an extreme level. It was the only consistency between her uses of it, whether tapping into it for power, or when she teleported between dimensions. That knowledge gave her a potential edge over the gods, but, what was the best way to go about this?

She frowned in thought before deciding she first needed to see what condition her tool was going to be in. Losing Odianna was going to destroy the child. Not to mention, that delightful bit of a false sense of betrayal and edge between Pan and her family was going to damage her tool. For now, she'd watch, wait, and be ready...

* * *

 _Author's Notes:_

 _RIP Odianna. I givith OC's life, and then I get them killed. ^_^_

 _Anyway, SPOILER TIME: (A vague description of the upcoming arc, read at your own behest)_

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 _Feeling betrayed by her family, and having lost another who she deeply cares for, what path will Pan walk with her life? With the gods and Towa both having their own plans for her power, how will our young, very troubled heroine fare? Will she turn down a dark path, or reclaim her life before it spirals even further out of control? Destiny begins to stir, Bardock's visions (from Chapter 29) are soon to come to a head. One way or another, for good or ill, This will be Pan's last arc, and destiny (well, my story-outline) does not have a kind fate in store for the child..._


	48. The Path to Power

_**Potara - Chapter 48: The Path to Power**_

Pan gave a start and woke up. "What! Where?!"

She looked around, realizing she was in her bedroom. "How did I get here?"

She frowned for a moment before it all came back to her. The tournament, her match against Coli, Odianna, her Grandfather's betrayal...

"How... how could he?" sobbed Pan, "He... he let her go, he let her die... he... he stopped me from saving her..."

Pan shivered and clutched her arms to herself, feeling tears well up in her was supposed to live, she was supposed to have came back and lived with Pan as her big sis. Why couldn't she have been stronger? Why couldn't she have had the power to stop it from happening? It... it wasn't fair!

It...

No.

NO!

"NO MORE CRYING!" Pan screamed at herself.

What had crying ever done for her? No, no, she needed to be strong. She needed POWER!

* * *

 _"How dare they," whispered Odianna, enraged._

 _Pan shook her head. "No, they're right, I'm a villian, a monster, I don't deserve that power..."_

 _"Don't you dare," warned Odianna._

 _She glared full force down at Pan. "What, just because you don't conform to their rigid narrow mindset that gives them a right to go at you like that? Allude to you being a villian? Worse than Black? Please, you SAVED their ungrateful asses from Black."_

 _Pan hesitated, an uncertain look on her face. "But..."_

 _Odianna cupped Pan's chin in her hand and lifted her head up to make eye contact. "Pan, look at me. There is nothing wrong with obtaining the power you need to protect those you care for. Mercy is all well and good, but more often than not, you just need to put down your enemies."_

 _Their was a darkening inside Pan's eyes. "There's nothing wrong with obtaining power..."_

 _Odianna nodded. "They had NO right to say those kind of things to you."_

 _Pan's eyes tightened. "They had no right."_

 _"When your older, and in control of your power, it'll be you who makes the decisions Pan. You might have to put up with their bullshit until you attain control, but there will come a day when it is by YOUR hand that justice will be met out, and by your will that evil like the Saiyans we dealt with shall be struck down," explained Odianna._

 _Pan smiled eagerly. "Yeah... when I figure that power out. I'll be the hero..."_

 _"Even greater then your Grandfather," said Odianna._

 _"Even greater than Grandpa," whispered Pan, almost fanatically._

 _Odianna smiled at her. "And I trust that you will do whatever it takes to reach that point, and make the existence we live in a much better place. Promise?"_

 _Pan nodded feverishly. "Yes, yes! I promise, I'll make the dimensions a better place!"_

 _Odianna patted her head. "Good girl."_

* * *

She nodded at the memory. "Yes... yes... there's nothing wrong with obtaining power, getting stronger at ANY costs. Screw Grandfa-..."

She narrowed her eyes and dismissed him. "Screw _Son Goku's_ morals. What have they ever got me but pain? I'll kill ANY bad guy. I'll become the most powerful person ever! I'll become a real, true hero, greater than he EVER was!"

"I'll fulfill my promise," whispered Pan, "I'll make the dimensions a better place."

"I need... I need to become a god. Then, I need to figure that green power out, no more waiting, no more games," said Pan with a deadly tone.

She needed... she needed to find Whis and Beerus! Maybe they would still be around? She focused her ki and felt around. She was a bit surprised to find the house empty aside from her. She could feel everyone else off at a distance, they were most likely at Capsule Corporation. Hmm...

"Wait, Whis doesn't do training for free!" exclaimed Pan.

She smirked. "He and Beerus need to be bribed with food! Kitchen raid time!"

Pan got out of bed and rushed to the kitchen, going through the fridge and cabinets. "Hmm. Leftover drumsticks, some cinnamon roles, oh they love icecream too! Maybe I'll throw in some tea packets, or... ah screw it, I'm going to fill a plastic bag FULL of everything I can get!"

Pan scrambled and put in a handful of various foods and drinks wrapped in plastic containers, bowls, and packets, before she left the house. She couldn't risk flying, so she decided to go on foot. She bounded across the distance, letting an hour pass by, until she reached Capsule Corperation. She kept herself hidden, sliding along the edges of the building to peer into the back yard. Mostly everyone was there... including Beerus and Whis! What luck! Now she just needed to get one of them alone. Hmm... they were hanging back sitting on lawn chairs eating potato chips. Really? Dods could be so lazy at times. It was hard to imagine them being so powerful. Pan picked up a small pebble from the ground, and tossed it towards Whis. To her surprise, he caught the pebble and glanced her way, eyebrow raised.

Pan put a finger to her lips, held up her food bag, and motioned for him to come before she slid back around the building. "Okay Pan, okay, you can do this!"

Whis came around the corner. "You wished to speak to me, alone?"

Pan nodded and held up the bag. "Take a peak!"

Whis leaned forward and parted the top of the plastic bag. "Oooooh! My oh my these look delightful! Mayhaps I'll try one..."

Pan pulled the bag back. "It aint free!"

Whis raised an eyebrow. "That's rather stingy."

Pan stood her ground. "I'll give you all this food if you train me to become a Super Saiyan God!"

Whis stared at her for a moment, looking surprised. "That was easier than I expected."

Pan blanked for a moment. "What do you mean?"

Whis winced. "Well... I mean, I've uh, been wanting to train you for some time now, that's it."

Pan's eyes went wide. "Really?!"

"Yes of course," said Whis, his face smoothing out to hide any discomfort, "But, I was unsure if your parants would approve at such a young age."

Pan narrowed her eyes. "Their opinions don't matter anymore. I want to become a god, and that's final. I don't need their approval, I don't need _Son Goku's_ approval either. I want you to keep it a secret."

Whis frowned, a confused look crossing his face. "You seem upset with your family."

Pan turned her head away. "..."

Whis shrugged. "Well, that's alright, perhaps some time apart will allow tensions to relax."

"Sure, whatever," murmured Pan.

Whis pointed to an alleyway a ways back into the city. "Wait there, Lord Beerus and I will pick you up shortly after we say our goodbye's."

Pan couldn't believe it! She had done it! She was going to get trained! She was going to become a god at long last!

She nodded enthusiastically. "Okay! I'll be waiting!"

Pan ran to the alleyway and hid, barely able to stop herself from trembling in anticipation. She should have taken things into her own hands years ago! Oh gods, she couldn't wait.

"Odianna, I'm going to make you proud," whispered Pan.

She felt an awful pang of sadness before she ruthlessly crushed it. "No! No more crying!"

Ten slow, agonizing minutes later, Beerus and Whis entered the alleyway, Whis turned around. "Place your hand upon my back."

Pan couldn't help but feel the jitters and stepped forward, her entire body trembling. She placed her hand upon his back, and in a flash, they were shooting off into space...

* * *

Son Goku watched the utterly astonished reaction of Aideen as Bulma showed her what a 'laptop' and the 'internet' was. The woman was transfixed by the ability to be able to see things through a small screen, see things all over the world. She and the other three survivors of Terra just couldn't seem to wrap their minds around a world that wasn't ruined. It was kind of amusing, but also incredibly saddening to see.

"Hmm, if you like computers so much, a job as my secretary might work," said Bulma.

Aideen gave her a perplexed look. "What's a secretary?"

"Erm... it's someone who helps me out. Keeps track of my schedule, writes letters and emails for me...," began Bulma.

"Umm... I don't know how to write," said Aideen sheepishly.

Bulma stared at her. "Uh... what kind of schooling have you gone through? What do you know how to do?"

"Umm... I can fight and use the Kaio-Ken. I can scavenge, I've done a bit of helping with farming, and I learned a bit of how to treat wounds. Would any of those things help with being a secretary?" asked Aideen honestly.

Bulma winced. "Oh... umm... wow..."

Aideen's face fell. "I guess that's a no."

Bulma shook her head. "Yeah, but that's okay! We just need to get you some basic schooling along with the other three."

"Living through a Saiyan apocalypse really sucks, doesn't it?" murmured Yamcha quietly.

Goku shot him a warning look, but thankfully Aideen didn't seem to hear it. These people didn't need that kind of talk right now. The better they could adjust into life on Earth without any issues or pity, the better they'd have it. Though, he did need something out of Aideen. He had Gohan had came up with the idea last night.

"Were more than willing to help you guys settle in, but, can we ask a favor?" asked Goku.

Aideen turned to him. "What?"

"Your Pan's friend, right?" asked Gohan.

Aideen's eyes narrowed. "Yeah, I am. And as her friend, I'm pissed at you."

Goku winced. "Well, we're kind of mad at her too."

"For what reason?" said Aideen scornfully.

"She told Odianna...," began Goku.

"She did no such thing!" interrupted Aideen, "Son Goku, I've been civil since you all took us in, but, I don't think I can hold back any longer. I loved that little girl like she was a sister and you HURT her when you accused her of betraying you."

Goku went silent.

"She was devastated, the look on her face was crushing. She did NOT tell your secrets to Odianna, she said she didn't, and I believe her," said Aideen viciously.

"Then how exactly did Odianna know?" asked Piccolo, stepping forward.

"I don't know," admitted Aideen.

"For that matter, Odianna had been more than willing to hurt and kill Pan at the start of the tournament, yet, all of the sudden they were close friends after Pan's fight with Coli? What happened," demanded Piccolo.

Aideen shook her head. "When Pan was fighting Kale, all I could get Odianna to say was that Pan had been through a hellish life. I tried to get an answer out of them when Pan came to stand with us, But both of them were tight lip."

Vegeta frowned. "Her and the grandbrat were alone for at most up to thirty minutes. I don't think that's enough time for the Grandbrat to spill her life's story."

"Did Odianna know how to read minds?" interrupted Gohan.

Aideen nodded. "She does."

"That explains it then," murmured Goku, "Maybe she didn't tell her intentionally..."

Ah crap... if that was the case... then Aideen was right, he had no sound reason to have accused Pan of betraying him. Oh man... she had to be really mad at him right now...

"Why was she reading Pan's mind? And why were they even alone together? I thought Odianna hated her?" asked Videl, confused.

Aideen shook her head. "I don't know."

Goku sighed. "I'm going to go apologize to Pan."

"You better," said Aideen.

Goku put two fingers to his head and focused towards Gohan's house. "..."

He blinked a few times. "Huh? I don't feel Pan's ki."

Gohan tensed. "What?!"

Videl grew worried. "Find someone nearby to teleport to and go!"

Goku did as instructed and then flew to Gohan's house. He went upstairs, only to find Pan's bed empty. He began to search the house, pausing to note a wide open refrigerator and cabinets.

"Ah crap...," muttered Goku.

He teleported back to Capsule Corperation. "Your kitchen's missing a lot of food. I think Pan ran away."

Gohan swore to himself before turning to Vegeta. "Keep an eye on the portal building in-case she tries to go through there. The rest of you, split up and start searching."

Bra sighed. "Pan... not again..."

* * *

Pan sneezed and wiped her nose with her free hand. "So, how much longer until were there?"

"Only a few more minutes," replied Whis.

Pan nodded. Soon... soooooon! They were so close now!

A few minutes later, they arrived at their destination. "Were here!

Pan took in the area as they landed; There were forests, a grassland, giant twisting trees with buildings on them, and a wide open lake. "Nice place."

"Hmph, Whis?" said Beerus.

"Yes Lord Beerus?" asked Whis.

He held out a hand. "Cough up the food."

Whis sighed. "Very well."

Pan watched them gorge themselves on her offering, wating patiently until they finished. "So, can we start training?!"

Whis walked over to her, a serious look in his eyes...

POP

A pink apron appeared overhead and fell on Pan's head. "First, chores."

Pan stared at the apron in disbelief. "Whaaat?!"

Beerus yawned and stretched before flying towards one of the giant twisting trees. "I'm going to take a nap."

Pan watched him go, confused and alarmed. "But... I gave you food..."

Whis raised an eyebrow. "So did Goku and Vegeta. That still didn't excuse them from wearing the apron and doing housework."

Pan blanked for a moment before looking at the Apron, she fell over and burst out laughing. "WAIT! Vegeta wore a PINK apron?! Bwhahhahahahah!"

Whis seemed amused. "Yes, he did, now, onto the business at hand. Your chores include: Scrubbing tree branches, mowing the lawn, cleaning the Oracle Fish's bowls, changing all of our bed sheets, cleaning the kitchen area, and helping us make breakfast, lunch, and dinner."

Pan shrugged. "Sure, whatever. I'll earn my keep..."

Whis led her to the cleaning supplies, and with that, Pan was off. It look her at lot longer to do the chores than she would have liked, but by the end of it, she more than recognized that there was more to it than met the eye, it wasn't simpley a random asortment of tasks.

"Patience, humility, discipline, and whole lot of elbow grease," said Pan as she approached Whis after finishing scrubbing the last tree branch.

Whis raised an eyebrow. "Hmm?"

"The real purpose behind the chores," said Pan.

Whis didn't directly answer, he merely smiled. "Well, shall we begin?"

Pan nodded and ascended to Super Saiyan 2. "Yeah!"

Whis held up a finger. "Ah ah ah! No transformations."

Pan blanked for a moment. "H-huh?"

"We need to get your base power up significantly. Your are a bit behind Goku and Vegeta's power when they first arrived here. Plus, a child's body is not as strong nor suited for some of the more... intense training I put those two through," explained Whis.

Pan scowled. "I can take anything those two went through!"

Whis gave her a disapproving look. "Son Pan, I am the teacher here, am I not?"

Pan winced and powered down. "Yes sir."

"Now...," began Whis.

He flicked a finger and immediately Pan was bombarded with a huge increase in gravity that brought her to the ground. "I want ten thousand push ups, then ten thousand sit ups to start."

Pan trembled, struggling to even get herself in position. "O-Oh... w-wow..."

Whis raised an eyebrow. "Are you complaining?"

Pan began her push ups. "N-no!"

"Good, then I will be watching from a distance. If you faint or collapse, the training ends for the day and I will put you to bed," said Whis.

There was only one thought crossing Pan's mind as she starting her training in earnest: This was going to be intense...

* * *

Whis watched Pan continue her training, a skeptical look in his eye. He had expected her to collapse after the three-thousandth push up, but she was still going strong. No, that wasn't right...

He chuckled softly. He saw the signs, the huge amount of sweat, the trembling exhaustion wracking her body, the droopiness of her face. The only thing that didn't share that tiredness was her determined eyes. That drive he saw there was of an intensity that rivaled Goku or Vegeta when they first got here. She would not tolerate her body failing her. Such a drive was good, but, it could be detrimental to her health if she pushed herself to hard. Best to remedy that...

Whis twiddled his fingers, and the gravity Pan was exercising in increased. Pan shuddered and cringed, shooting him an annoyed look, but continued on.

Satisfied that Pan would exhaust herself out soon enough, Whis began to contimplate what to do about the Omni-Kings task. Pan desiring for God training made it easier to isolate her from the others so there would be no witnesses. But now, he needed a way to extract that green power of hers. He couldn't just do it willy nilly, nor could he do it while she was asleep. The technique required her to be awake. It was a rather bothersome requirement, especially with the restraint of not alerting her.

Hmm, he stored the thought away. He was sure that an opportunity would present itself at some point.

 _THUD_

Whis's eyes flickered up, seeing Pan finally collapse. With a wave of his hand, the gravity faded. He chuckled softly and moved to pick her up.

"Well, off to bed with you, tomorrow, we continue with our training," said Whis.

Pan's only reply was a grumble and a few choice words about not wanting to quit. He shook his head slowly. Ah children, not knowing their limits. It would either hurt them, or push them to levels they never knew possible. He gave the exhausted girl a smile, he had a hunch he knew which one of those two things would be Pan's fate...

* * *

Goku sighed, watching the rest of the Z-fighters re-group at Capsule Corporation as night fell. "Any luck?"

There was a lot of 'no' and head shakes. "Dang."

Gohan crossed his arms, an irritated look on his face. "We combed damn near the entire world. She's deliberately avoiding us. That can work for only so long, especially with her knack of wanting to train. We'll find her and..."

18 interrupted. "And then what? Bring her back against her will?"

Gohan went silent.

"We just wanna apologize and make sure she's okay," said Goku.

18 rolled her eyes. "Please. Make sure she's okay? She's a Super Saiyan 2, there's nothing on this world outside of this group that could physically hurt her. She's angry at you and wants to be left alone. I say let her have her alone time."

Goku frowned. "But..."

"I kinda agree with my sis," said 17, "You keep dragging her back and scolding her like you've been doing, she's just going to resent you for it and try harder to get away. Trust me, we know from experience."

Goku scratched his head. "Well... how long do you think she'll be gone?"

18 shrugged. "I imagine a few days to a few weeks at most, depending on just how pissed off you made her."

"Really pissed," murmured Goku.

"And feeling betrayed," jabbed Aideen, making Goku wince.

"Okay, well, lengthen that to a few months to a year," said 18.

Videl looked mortified. "B-but a whole year?! All on her own?"

"I dunno Videl, me and Goku used to do that whole 'live off the land and on our own' thing when we were kids," said Krillen, a faint smile on his face, "Give the kid some time and she'll come back. You've all been so high strung with her these last few years, no offense, some freedom could do her a world of good."

Gohan nodded slowly. "I guess... just, all of you keep your eyes open for her, just incase. You don't need to bring her back, just make sure she's okay."

There was a chorus of head bobs and 'okays' before the group started dispersing. A minute later, only Goku, Gohan, Videl, and Aideen remained.

"I still don't like it, she's just a twelve year old girl," murmured Videl.

Gohan sighed. "I know, but..."

"But nothing," interrupted Aideen, a little cross, "I thought I had a smothering complex with that girl, but you all dot on her and struggle to keep a clamp on her so much that its almost sickening."

Goku winced. "We just want whats best for her..."

Aideen crossed her arms. "What you want, and what she wants, are most likely two very different things. I think you ought to accept that."

Aideen started walking towards capsule corp before stopping. "What Odianna said back at the tournament, that Pan had been through a 'hellish life'. Tomorrow, I want one of you to come over and tell just what she meant."

Goku nodded. "Alright, I will. It's not going to be pleasant though."

"I figured as much," said Aideen before leaving.

Gohan and Videl gave one last heavy sigh each, before taking off into the air, leaving Goku alone.

He rubbed his eyes tiredly, and then looked up into the night's sky. "Ah Pan, I'm sorry..."


	49. The Doll

_**Potara - Chapter 49: The Doll**_

 _ **6 Months later...**_

Pan rushed forward and attacked Whis's left before feinting back and throwing her foot to try and trip him. The angel gracefully outdid her foot-play and tripped her on her face.

"Tsk tsk, to slow, you have to learn to act without thinking," said Whis.

Pan scowled and rose to her feet. "Easier said than done."

Whis shrugged. "It would be easier if you had sparing partner, are you sure you don't want me to bring one of your family members?"

Pan narrowed her eyes. "Absolutely not!"

Whis gave her a helpless look. "There's only so far I can push you without a partner of roughly equal skill to test yourself against. Anyway, that's enough sparring for today."

"But we've only been going for an hour!" whined Pan.

Whis raised an eyebrow. "Do you really want me to keep knocking you on your butt every ten seconds for another hour? I'd think you'd eventually get tired of it day after day.

Pan shrugged. "What can I say? I'm stubborn."

Whis pointed at the ground. "Well, if your not tired, you can do some image training, or, you can exercise."

Pan sighed. "Fiiineee, I'll do another ten-thousand sit ups."

Pan sat down, and without a word, Whis snapped his fingers and bombarded her with heavy gravity. Pan winced momentarily before she started exercising. Almost immediately, she put her body on auto-pilot and started brooding, as usual.

These last few months had passed as an exhausting blur. It was a simple life, but she enjoyed it: Eat, chores, exercise, training, and sleep was all she lived and breathed, especially in the early months. Back then, she could barely last a few hours of exercising before collapsing and waking up the next day in her bed. Whis was a hard teacher, but he was incredibly insightful, and seemed to know what limits to push her to every day.

The training had been... strange. Ever since she had gotten first home from the other Dimensions, she had always pushed herself as a Super Saiyan 2. She rarely trained in her base state. Now, it seemed like all they did was train in their base states, she hadn't gone Super Saiyan for the last three months. She did not question the training though, no, there was no need to. She could feel the raw difference in strength she had even with only half a year's worth of training.

Not only that, she had started feeling... flickers... of Whis's and Beerus's presence, almost like she could somewhat feel their ki. She knew she was getting close to the moment she had been waiting for, her first steps into godhood, but, she hadn't mentioned it yet, wanting to surprise Whis in a spar at some point.

Her thoughts went silent for a moment before they began to slip further into the past, beyond the last six months. Her first instinct was to try to banish them and shove them down again as she had done countless times before, but, it was tiring arguing with her own mind about them.

Her thoughts flickered to the Dimensional Tournament. What a miserable experience that had been. The later half had been a complete and utter disaster. Her fight with Coli, her suicide attempt, Odianna saving her and straightening her out, the fight with Kale, the arguing with her family and then... then...

She sighed. Then the betrayal. Her family refused to fight Kale for Odianna. It was a betrayal against what she believed in, and had once thought about them. It brought back a memory...

* * *

 _Odianna growled. "Pan, you are an idiot."_

 _Pan withered under her rebuke._

 _Odianna viciously scolded her. "Why do you keep comparing yourself to your Grandfather over and over again? There's no point to it, no purpose but to eat away at yourself. I want you to repeat after me: I am a twelve year old girl, eight back then."_

 _"I... I am a twelve y-year old g-girl, e-eight back then," stammered Pan._

 _"My Grandfather, who is older, faster, stronger, and more experienced, with a GOD FORM hidden up his ass, is not someone I should compare every action I do with, nor base my entire life around him and his morals and judgments," said Odianna, her voice thin._

 _Pan looked up at her in disbelief._

 _"Say it Pan," said Odianna, her voice taking on a warning tone._

 _"M-my G-grandfather, who is o-older, f-faster, s-stronger, and mm... mm... more experienced, with a... a god form h-hidden up his... his...," Pan stammered and got stuck on._

 _Odianna rolled her eyes. "You can skip that word."_

 _Pan looked slightly relieved and struggled to continue, "...is not s-someone I should compare e-every action I do w-w-with, n-nor base my e-entire life around h-him and his m-morals and j-judgements."_

* * *

Maybe... maybe she was an idiot after all. Always holding herself up to an impossible standard, and a fake standard to boot. She could freely admit now, she had idolized Son Goku...

She stopped herself momentarily and grumbled at herself. "He's still your Grandpa, being pissy at him doesn't change that."

She had idolized her _Grandpa_ to a stupid degree, as if he were a saint, an invincible pure hearted super hero. To be honest though, while he was a good guy, he wasn't perfect. He could be pretty selfish, and dumb, and pushy, and sloppy, and just... well... human, aside from being Saiyan of course. He made mistakes, a lot of them. Understanding that, it didn't hurt as much that he thought she had betrayed him, though, it still stung and made her feel bitter and petty. What really hurt was that he had turned away from helping Odianna.

That fact cemented in her head that he sure as hell wasn't invincible, just stupidly strong. The whole timeplane mess had proved that way back then, but, she had basically glossed over that fact at the time. Grandpa had been beaten or broke even with Cell, King Cold, and Black. Not to mention, any God of Destruction or an Angel could obviously beat him into the dirt if they fought.

She muttered to herself. "He's just a man, a great man I can admit, but a man nonetheless."

She smirked. "But me, I'll be better. I'll be more than a girl, more than a woman that I'll eventually grow up to be."

She nodded in satisfaction. Oh yes, she was going to become so much more. Soon enough, she'd become a god. Then, she'd play catch-up to close the power gap between herself and her dad and Vegeta. Then, she'd figure out the whole Kaio-Ken Super Saiyan Blue combo and match Grandpa. After that, she'd go _even further beyond_. She'd figure out how to use that green energy, and she'd become something so much more.

She could remember the memory Grandpa had shown her, of when she went 'Super Saiyan Green'. She was already so much stronger in than she had been back then without the 'Green' power boost. If she went 'Green' now, how strong would she become? If she went 'Green' after she had caught up to her Grandpa, just how powerful would she be? It was hard to wrap her mind around.

She nodded in satisfaction as an answer hit her: She'd be strong enough to do whatever she wanted and no one could tell her otherwise.

Her thoughts turned back towards the Dimensional Tournament. The first half of it had been boring as hell. She was tempted to skip any further ones just to avoid the annoyance. Though, there was some interesting techniques and things she had seen, not to mention those ridiculous vendors...

* * *

 _Pan walked out, spotting a few stalls with strange looking vendors behind tables, she walked up to one, "Hey there."_

 _"Greetings, please take and enjoy the food," said the Vendor._

 _"What would you recommend?" asked Pan._

 _"Greetings, please take and enjoy the food," said the Vendor._

 _Pan frowned. "Umm... but what would you recommend?"_

 _"Greetings, please take and enjoy the food," said the Vendor._

 _Pan rolled her eyes. "Seriously?"_

 _"They're god constructs, they were only created to serve food, don't bother talking to them," said a voice behind her._

 _Pan turned to see an angel approach and load up his own plate of food. "Mmm, I so enjoy events like this."_

 _"What's a god construct?" asked Pan, grabbing a plate and starting to pile food on it._

 _"A god construct is an artificial creation of a god created for a singular purpose. They lack personality and *crunch crunch*, ehum, and any information that was not infused within them," explained the Angel, munching on food the entire time._

* * *

Pan's eyes furrowed. Wait a second, that gave her an idea...

Pan turned her head. "Hey Whis! Cut the gravity."

Whis raised an eyebrow and did so. "Done for the day?"

She shook her head. "Nah, I got a question for you. Can you make God Constructs?"

Whis seemed surprised. "Make a God Construct? Well, yes, I can. It's not my forte, nor do I have much experience with it, but all Angels are taught how to make them. Why do you ask?"

"The Vendor's at the tournament were God Constructs, right?" she asked.

Whis nodded. "Correct."

"Created just to vend and serve food?" asked Pan.

"Yes," answered Whis.

"Can you create them for other purposes?" asked Pan.

Whis shrugged. "Of course."

"What about for fighting?" asked Pan.

Whis nodded. "Yes."

Pan grinned. "Didn't you say something earlier about wanting me to have a sparring partner? What about a God Construct?"

Whis stared at her, a brief dumbstruck look on his face. "Oh... well... huh..."

He seemed rather pleased with her idea. "An excellent suggestion, a most excellent suggestion. That may help both of us out."

Pan titled her head. "Both of us?"

"I... err... could use the support training you," stammered Whis.

Pan shrugged. "Well, get to it!"

* * *

Whis could hardly believe his luck. Pan had just handed him the key to fulfill his mission that the Omno-King had given him! It was a shame he had shirked that lesson in his past, if he had more experience with God Constructs, the idea would most likely have come to him at some point.

It was time to lay the bait. "Making a God Construct for fighting requires an... infusion of power."

Pan tilted her head. "Infusion?"

"I have to take power from you, add a bit of unrefined ki of my own, add in combat memories that you have, and fuse them all together," half-lied Whis.

The 'take power part' was a complete lie, but, it would do.

Pan seemed to accept the lie. "Well, okay. I don't like losing power, but, if I'm fighting an equal I'll improve and make it up much faster than fighting alone."

Whis nodded. "Correct. "

Whis walked up to Pan. "I will also need a few a few strands of hair to use as the base."

Pan gave him a perplexed look. "Base?"

"Well, you can't just create a God Construct out of nothing but ki," explained Whis.

Pan yanked a few strands of hair out and handed them to here. "K'ay."

Whis walked a ways away, turned, and placed the strands of hair on the ground. "Please stand very still Pan. Now, I'm going to need you to relax, but, be prepared for a bit of pain."

Pan nodded. "Pain ain't anything I can't handle."

Whis tapped into the knowledge the Omni-King had granted, and aimed both hands at Pan. He made a pulling motion, and Pan gave a startled cry as blue and green energy snaked out of her body and began to flow towards the strands of hair. An outline of a girl started to appear, filling with the offered energy. Whis continued to pull, drawing more and more energy, now fully green, out of her until only brief strands remained. Satisfied, he let the stragglers of power slip back into her. It would be enough, trying to take every single scrap of it out of her would damage her ki too much. He was certain he had cut a rather large chunk of power out of her, anymore would be unwise.

The God Construct on the ground began to glow, and Whis aimed a hand at it, feeding it unrefined ki and focusing his efforts to complete the creation. Skin began to form, followed by its bodily features. Within another minute, a duplicate of Pan laid on the ground, staring blankly up at the sky.

Pan herself was on her knees, shivering. "Oh... oh wow... I... I don't feel so good."

Whis gave her a sympathetic look. "Having a part of one's ki stripped and gifted away is a most unusual sensation. It will pass. You'll be pleased to know the God Construct is almost complete."

* * *

Pan rubbed her forehead, stifling the urge to collapse and moan in agony. Whis hadn't told her JUST how much that would hurt. Gods dammit! Her head was aching like crazy, and her ki felt like it was in revolt all throughout her body, as if it were missing some key component of itself. She shivered hugging her arms tight to her chest, before she looked up to take a look at the God Construct.

Her eyes went wide. "Woah! It looks just like me and... hey... PUT SOME CLOTHES ON HER YOU PERVERT!"

Whis rolled his eyes and aimed a hand at the construct. There was a flash of light and a simple turtle hermit gi appeared on it.

Pan nodded with satisfaction. "Better, just wish I could do the same about my headache..."

Whis chuckled softly before walking over. "Perhaps I should have used myself as a base, it was rather rude of me to take the power your working so hard to gain."

Pan shrugged. "Little late now, its fine."

Pan gave the God Construct another look over. "You know, you gods... really have some cool powers and abilities... I kinda wish I was one."

Whis raised an eyebrow. "Oh? Well, you'll be a Super Saiyan God at some point."

Pan rolled her eyes. "That's different, that's just god ki."

Whis seemed to grow interested. "By chance, would you be interested in training to become the next God of Destruction? I've been trying to get Goku and Vegeta to take the offer, but they always decline."

Pan frowned. Become a God of Destruction huh? It would be a lot of power, but, being stuck with its responsibilities would be detrimental for her. Hrm... how to nicely decline?

"Would I have to wear those ridiculous clothes Beerus wears?" asked Pan.

Whis turned and aimed a hand at the God Construct. "I'll show you what you'd look like. I'll infuse it with the purpose and ki of a Destroyer God for a moment."

The God Construct glowed purple for a moment before its clothes warped.

Pan took one look at it and said, "Nope, not interested. If I have to wear THAT, then hell no. That's almost my entire stomach visible! That's way to much skin showing for my taste. I'm no skank!"

Whis rolled his eyes. "Of all things to refuse the position on, you choose clothing?"

Pan rolled her eyes right back at him. "It's one of several reasons. To be honest, if I can't wear my gis, I don't really want to take a job with a strict dress code. I mean, I guess I wouldn't mind the Kai clothing, its actually kind of cool, but..."

Whis turned and aimed a hand at the God Construct again. "Removing the infusion of a God of Destruction, and re-infusing it with the purpose and ki of a Supreme Kai."

The God Construct's ki and clothes began to warp and settle. It's clothes resembled Supreme Kai Shins. A dark green vest with a red outline that stretched down to above her knees. An orange cloth wrapped around its waist. Baggy teal underclothes, and dark red boots. On its ears were a set of Potara Earrings.

Pan nodded. "Much better."

She giggled. "Tee hee, its kind of like dressing a doll. Wow, I haven't done that in yeaaaars. You know, God Construct is such a long name. How about we just call her a doll?"

Whis shrugged. "As you wish."

"Ready to fight, Doll?" asked Pan, giggling afterwords.

The Doll did not move or respond.

"Erm, Pan, we still need to copy and infuse your fighting memories into it," explained Whis.

"Oh, erm, okay, guess its round three to have someone go through my mind," said Pan dryly.

Whis chuckled. "Oh we won't need to go that far. All I need to do is link your minds, and replicate any memories associated with fighting. Its not a complex or invasive procedure, I won't peer into any personal memories. Please come sit down next to it."

Pan nodded and sank to the ground next to her doll replica. She couldn't get over how much it looked like her. Well, aside from its eyes, they were blank looking. It was kind of unsettling to look into them.

Whis knelt down, put a finger to Pan's forehead, and then to the Dolls. "Copying."

Pan grew dizzy as memories flashed through her eyes faster than she could follow. A moment later, Whis took his fingers away from their heads and stood up.

"Rise doll," said Whis.

Pan's eyes went wide, watching the doll stand up. Wow... that was so cool. She had thought the vendors back at the tournament were kind of dumb. But, seeing life being created so easily and quickly was awing. Though, it had hurt like hell for a moment. She cringed at a thought, wondering if having a kid would hurt that much, or even more. Thankfully THAT was still quite a few years off, if she even bothered. Making the Dimensions a better place wouldn't really leave her time to even think about a family, sad as the thought was. Anyway...

Pan walked a ways away and eagerly turned. "Ready to fight?"

The Doll assumed her own fighting stance, making Pan's eye go wide once again with glee.

"Oh, this is going to be sweet," whispered Pan to herself before rushing at the Doll...

* * *

Whis watched, eyebrow raised the entire time, as Pan and the Doll beat eachother into a raw bloody pulp. "Children these days."

He raised a hand and released a pulse of energy, separating the two of them. "That's enough for now."

Pan pouted. "But were only getting started! We haven't even transformed yet! Er..."

Pan turned. "Hey Doll? Can you go Super Saiyan?"

The Doll did as commanded, its hair flying up and turning yellow.

Pan's eyes went wide. "Sweet!"

"Well, it was created from your hair, your DNA, so it has your capabilities in addition to its godly infusion," explained Whis, "Now, you need to go get yourself cleaned up for dinner, off you go."

Pan sighed before leaving. "Okay."

Whis watched her leave before saying, "Are you going to hide all day Lord Beerus or come out?"

There was a rustle behind him as Beerus left his hiding spot to stand next to Whis. "So, I take it you accomplished the Omni-Kings task?"

Whis nodded. "It was Pan who actually gave me the idea to create a God Construct as a sparring partner. I simply preformed the technique and siphoned off the power the Omni-King wanted removed from her. Pan's actually rather smitten with the construct, calls it 'Doll'."

Beerus pointed at the Doll. "What do you intend to do with that? The power has been removed from Pan, yes, but I'm unsure if leaving it within a mere construct is a wise idea."

Whis shrugged. "After it has served its purpose as Pan's sparing partner and she leaves, I'll simply dispose of it. It's simply a God Construct after all. Speaking of which, I might as well store it away when its not in use."

Whis waved his staff at it, teleporting the God Construct into the pocket dimension within his staff...

* * *

Towa had been mortified. She had watched as Pan's glorious green energy was stripped from her. She had thought she had lost everything. Then, she had the most _wondrous_ of ideas when she laid her eyes on the God Construct.

She smiled wickedly to herself, flexing her hand and staring down at her Demon Time Ring. "This will be glorious."

She clenched her hand and tapped into its power, making sure to try and not draw attention to herself. She transported herself into Whis's pocket dimension, coming out a few feet away from the 'Doll' as Pan had called the God Construct. She walked around it slowly, savoring the sight of a completely empty mind and soul.

"Oh how clever of the angel, to think he trapped the power in a useless vessel, to be disposed of at his pleasure," mocked Towa.

She stared with disdain at its clothing. "Though, making it a Kaioshin God Construct is distasteful to me, oh well."

She walked back around to the front of the God Construct. "A soulless husk, empty of mind, feeling, and function outside of fighting. We're going to have to do something about that, won't we?"

Towa licked her lips and placed a hand upon it's head. "Oh, such an emptiness, a blank canvas to be drawn upon. Fret not my pet, fret not my _puppet_. I will fill you with the scrapings of souls I've ripped apart. I will give you thought and intelligence. I will give you feelings, emotions..."

Towa smiled wickedly and leaned forward to whisper into it's ear as she poured her magic into it's body. "I will give you FEAR, and with that fear, you shall strike out against the gods..."

* * *

For the first time in its very short existence, the Doll blinked. It became aware of itself in the span of a single moment and looked around, staring at the blank area it found itself in. It grew curious...

It stopped momentarily and tested out its voice with its first act of independence. "I am not an it. I'm a girl like that other girl..."

In the span of a moment, memories flashed through her eyes, from the moment she had been born, up until she had awoken to her awareness. The girl she had been sparring with, Pan, she seemed a bit odd at times, but not unlikable. She didn't however like the angel that had been watching them fight for some reason...

...and then the reason hit it. The Angel said it was going to _kill_ her...

It chilled her to the core, and she spoke out fearfully, "I... I don't want to die..."

In the span of a single moment, a green energy engulfed her body before it suddenly fizzled out and faded. She stared at her hands curiously, flashing through her memories she had inherited of Pan. She narrowed in on its one memory she had gotten, the fight between Pan and a certain 'Black'.

That power would be enough to stop the Angel from killing her if she grew strong enough training with Pan...

Wait...

Pan. The power. The god and the angel had spoken about taking a power from Pan. They had stolen it from the child and stored it away inside of her. Despicable. Yet, the girl had been so easily deceived.

It made the Doll agitated at the child. "Stupid girl."

She shook her head. Still, the girl was being used, just like she herself was being used. Perhaps she could be useful, could be an ally if need be. For now, she needed to wait and grow stronger. They thought her a simple God Construct with no form and thought outside of fighting, she needed to keep that visage up, at least until she was ready.

When she was, it would be kill or be killed. She would NOT let herself die! She would kill the gods and angels!

Her memories flickered back to Pan. "And I know just the naive and stupid girl who will help me do it..."

* * *

 _Author's Notes:_

 _Evil Pan clone anyone? *cough* joking._

 _Ehum, anyway, Pan's power has been 'mostly(?)' stolen from her and placed inside the Doll. However, rather than let the power slip away, Towa has now interfered and given the Doll its own consciousness and drove it to fear and want to kill the gods. Towa has begun her shadow war on the gods, and Pan is going to be caught right smack dab in the middle of it..._

 **Stop** reading here if you don't want potential spoilers...

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 _This *might* be a bit out of left field for people, but, I *did* try to give an early setup to what a God Construct was at the Dimensional Tournament. It wasn't placed there randomly. I've wanted to put the Doll into the story since I first came up for the storyline for Potara - A Sorrow Beyond Divinity. It has a VERY important role to play in this arc that will have drastic repercussions for the rest of the Fanfiction._

 _Yes, I'm confirming that this arc isn't the final arc of the story, not even close. I just wanted to throw that out there since TheDarkPokemaster's comment on Chapter 47 made me think people might come to that conclusion. Just because it will Pan's final arc does not mean the story is over, nor does it mean that the Doll will take her place as the main character, far from it. Which is a curious statement, isn't it? Who shall take the lead?_

 _If some people have paid attention to the subtle hints I dropped in Chapter 29, they might start to understand where this arc is going based on the circumstances of the Doll's creation, and what's going to happen. This arc is the future storyline I was teasing in chapters 29's author's notes. And, Tee hee, I love teasing. This arc is the arc I have most anticipated actually writing since I began, I can't wait to finish it..._


	50. Betrayal of the Gods

_**Potara - Chapter 50: Betrayal of the Gods**_

 _ **1 Month Later**_

Never before had Pan found such delight with a sparring partner. The Doll could match her every move and fought with an intensity equal to, and sometimes surpassing her own. She'd actually lost quite a bit of spars to the Doll, but each defeat simply made her stronger, it was true for both of them. Pan had recovered her lost ki within the first week with how often they fought each other. Now? She wasn't sure how strong she was anymore.

At the moment, she was resting after going through another spar with the Doll. She glanced over at it. The Doll was merely standing there, staring at her, waiting for the next spar. In some ways, it was the perfect sparing partner, in other ways, it was lacking. It wasn't a real companion...

"I wish you could talk," murmured Pan, "I wish you could be my friend."

For a brief moment, she thought she saw something flicker in its eyes, before it was gone. She sighed at that. Sometimes, she wasn't so sure it was a mindless God Construct. Whenever she and Whis or Beerus would talk, she noted the Doll would tilt its head in their direction, listening. It could learn, it wasn't just limited to the memories it had gotten from her, it found ways to surprise her in battle. Sometimes, she saw flickers of emotion on its face, usually though, not the good kind. Whenever Whis put the Doll away inside his staff's pocket dimension, she saw flashes of anger and fear in the Doll's eyes. Not only that, the Doll seemed to subconsciously want to stay away from Whis and Beerus. It would often stand directly behind Pan, as if using her as a shield. Whenever Whis would get near to the Doll, there was a brief and subtle tension that went through it, and its eyes... it was afraid of Whis and Beerus, she could clearly see it, she wasn't sure why.

But it never spoke, it never did anything but fight. The subconscious movements could be because the Doll knew Whis and Beerus were unbelievably strong. Pan smiled at the thought, the Doll realized it, and Pan did to, not just through knowledge, but through their ki, She could feel them, oh at long last she could feel them. This last month had spurred on her training so much, especially when Whis started teaching her how to not let her ki 'leak'. She was sure she had achieved her goal, which meant it was time to surprise Whis...

"Heeeeey Whis!" called over Pan.

Whis turned to her, breaking a conversation with Beerus. "Yes Pan?"

"Wana spar?" asked Pan.

Whis raised an eyebrow. "Oh? I was beginning to wonder if you would ever take a break from using your plaything. Alright, let us begin."

Pan hid a frown. As much as she knew the Doll was just a God Construct, she didn't like whenever Whis or Beerus referred to it as such. She walked over and stood a ways from the Angel, ready and waiting. They both turned their heads towards Beerus and waited.

"Begin," said Beerus.

Pan rushed at Whis and let loose a flurry of quick jabs. Whis blocked them easily and made to jab at Pan's stomach. Pan acted instantly, she tapped into her ki, focusing on the ability to feel divinity, and turned Super Saiyan to block, and did so. But something was different... this wasn't Super Saiyan Blue...

She stood there, the yellow aura of a Super Saiyan surrounding her, but closer to her skin was a second, smaller blue aura. "Huh?"

 _JAB_

Pan gave a startled cry when Whis took advantage of her distraction and snuck in a blow between her ribs. Pan cringed and fell to her knees.

"Owwwww," she moaned.

Whis wagged a finger back and forth. "Tsk tsk tsk. I was wondering when you were going to try that, if you wanted to surprise me, you should have counter attacked rather than stand there stupefied."

Pan glared at him. "You KNEW I could do this?"

Whis chuckled. "But of course, I am your teacher after all. From the moment you learned how to keep your ki from, 'mostly' leaking, you've been able to use that form."

Pan looked down to appraise herself. "I don't get it, what is this? I've never seen it before."

Or had she? She frowned. Something about this form tickled a memory, something about the timeplane incidents...

Whis sighed and interrupted her train of thought. "That's because it doesn't last long, both Goku and Vegeta obtained and surpassed this form while training, I imagine your father did so to in the time chamber. Once you achieve Super Saiyan Blue, this form can no longer be used. Consider it a step-away-from-godhood. You've gotten a taste of what it means to have God Ki. However, your body is not used to it, and cannot fully regulate or use it yet."

Pan absorbed the information. "How long do you think it will take for my body to get used to God Ki?"

Whis shrugged. "A week? A month? A year? Who knows?"

Pan gave him a cross look and powered down. "You tease!"

Whis put a hand up to block his mouth. "Ho ho ho, I do so enjoy it."

Whis wiggled his nose. "But, since your at this stage, we will soon be coming to a close on your training.

Pan gave a start. "Huh?!"

Whis raised an eyebrow. "One bag of food to buy our services doesn't last forever Pan. Not to mention, a God of Destruction and his Angel attendant do have a job to do, as much as Beerus enjoys sleeping and slacking off."

Beerus coughed and shot Whis a look.

"Once you achieve Super Saiyan Blue, our training will come to an end, for now, we may be 'persuaded' with delightful food to pick it up again later, but, that will be later," said Whis.

Pan nodded sullenly. "Oh... okay... I guess..."

"You can just spar and train back home you know, or are you still dead set on avoiding your family?" asked Whis.

Pan glared at him. "None of your business!"

She huffed and turned to the Doll. "C'mon, were gonna go spar elsewhere!"

They flew away and landed on the other side of the lake. "Alright Doll! You ought to be able to do the same thing as me, transform!"

They both ascended to the strange yellow/blue aura'd Super Saiyan form.

Pan stared at the Doll. "Huh, I don't know why Whis want's me to go back home, your keeping pace with me easily. I'd rather have you as a sparring partner than Grandpa."

"Because they're not going to let me come with you," said the Doll, startling Pan.

Pan's eyes went wide. "W-what?! Did you just talk!?"

The Doll's eyes flickered across the lake. "I can, but the gods mustn't know."

Pan was staring, jaw dropped, at the Doll with disbelief. "You... can talk..."

She got over her stupor a moment later. "Why wouldn't they let you come with me?"

"Because they're going to kill me when you leave," said the Doll, a tint of fear in her voice."

"What?!" exclaimed Pan, "No way, they wouldn't do something like that! Especially if you can talk and think!"

The Doll crossed her arms. "I heard them say they would destroy me when they were done with you, and if they knew I wasn't just some empty husk, they'd destroy me instantly. That's why I haven't acted until now, I wanted to get strong enough to fight them off, but, they're going to send you away once you get blue, and then kill me. I don't have a choice anymore."

Pan said nothing, feeling extremely uneasy all the sudden.

"What's more Pan, they lied to you," said the Doll.

Pan narrowed her eyes. "Lied to me?"

"They stole it Pan, they stole the power from you and put it inside of me," said the Doll.

Pan went very still. "The power?"

"The green power," said the Doll.

Pan's mind went completely blank. "N...no... I-I need that power! Y-your... your lying!"

"Am I? Remember the ritual the Angel used to create me, did it not extract a green looking ki from you?" asked the Doll.

Pan's face paled.

"If you don't believe me, collect yourself, and go ask what they intend to do with me after your training is done," offered the Doll, "Just don't tell them about me."

Pan powered down, feeling completely and utterly shaken. "O-okay..."

She slowly flew back over the lake, feeling mortified. It couldn't be... it couldn't be true... had they lied to her? Had they betrayed her?! Pan masked her face, and brute forced her ki to settle down.

She flew over and landed in front of Whis. "Hey Whis, I want to take the Doll with me when were done training."

Whis frowned. "I'm sorry Pan, but, I cannot allow that."

Pan frowned deeply. "Why not? What are you going to do with it if you won't let it come with me?"

Whis shrugged. "Dispose of it."

Pan's lips pursed. "I see."

The Doll was right, they wanted to destroy it. And if it was right about that... then... then... it... might be telling the truth about the green power. Pan levitated up into the air, and without another word, flew back to the Doll.

The Doll watched her approach. "We have to leave, we have to go hide and finish our training ourselves."

Pan landed next to it. "How can we get out of here? We can't get out of here without Whis."

The Doll smirked. "Whis made a mistake when he was playing 'dress the doll'. He left me with the image and infusion of a Kai, of a Kaioshin."

Pan tilted her head. "So?"

"It means I'm technically a Kaioshin, I have all of their abilities, including their teleportation technique," explained the Doll.

Pan's eyes went wide at that. "Oh!"

"Do you know of anyplace we could train in secret?" asked the Doll.

Pan thought briefly. "Umm... the... the time chamber!"

"Can you imagine this 'time chamber' in your mind?" asked the Doll.

Pan nodded. "Yeah, well, I can imagine the door in the lookout. It's a place where a day outside is a year in there."

The Doll's eyes went wide. "Like the staff pocket dimension of the angel! We could get a lot of training done in there, before the gods can even start trying to track us down!"

Pan paused. "But... maybe we should ask for help? Grandpa might..."

"Would he? I have some of your memories Pan, so I ask, would he really turn against his god friends for our sake, for your sake?" asked the Doll.

Pan cringed at the words. The betrayal Grandpa had accused her of, and the betrayal she felt towards them by abandoning Odianna... she... she couldn't trust them. She was supposed to be able to trust in her family, but she couldn't...

The Doll grinned and offered a hand. "Take my hand, and I'll get us out of here, then, we can train, then, we can make the Gods who betrayed us pay!"

Pan stared at the offered hand. What the Doll was saying, what the Doll was offering, if she took her hand there would be no going back. But... the gods... if they really had stolen her power, then she couldn't stay here, she couldn't trust them.

She took the offered hand. "Lets go."

 _ZIP_

* * *

Whis stared in confusion at where Pan and the Doll had been moments ago. "What... just happened?"

Beerus moved to stand at the edge of the lake. "That was instantaneous movement. The Doll just took Pan somewhere."

Whis stared at him blankly. "But... how? Why? The Doll is just a God Construct. It cant think or do anything outside of fighting."

Beerus frowned intensely. "Perhaps Pan's power changed it."

Whis grew uneasy. "But... why would it have waited to act then if it could actually think for itself?"

Beerus turned to him. "The day we created it, the Doll was listening to us. It knows you were going to destroy it, and you just told them that the training would be coming to a close. It was using our training to grow stronger until it was forced to act."

Whis frowned deeply. "I see. We need to find Pan and the Doll, quickly."

Beerus nodded. "We do, but Whis..."

"Yes?" answered Whis.

"The Omni-King is going to be displeased if he learns of this," murmured Beerus before he gripped Whis's shoulder and they flew into space...

* * *

Pan tiptoed through the lookout, peeking around the corner. "Were clear."

The Doll scolded her. "I thought you were thinking of the door itself! We should have teleported right to it."

Pan scowled. "Give me a break, I'm kind of freaking out about this whole thing!"

"You think YOUR freaking out?" hissed the Doll, "Your not the one with an Angel wanting to kill you. Your not the one who, at the end of every day, is thrown into that damn staff pocket dimension the Angel has, spending months at a time alone knowing that the next time you come out might be your last. I've gone through years of being in that place while your napping at night!"

Pan cringed. "O-oh... um... I'm sorry..."

The Doll shook its head. "Let's just go."

Pan took point, walking through the lookout. She was terrified of anyone knowing where she was, and had almost fully suppressed her ki, she could barely feel her senses at the moment. They had to get to the time chamber door unseen. Dende, Mr. Popo, and sometimes Mr. Piccolo were the only ones usually here. They usually stood at the edges of the lookout, so, hopefully they could remain unseen.

Pan paused briefly. "Hey wait a second, if you've spent that much time in that umm... pocket dimension, why haven't you aged or anything?"

The Doll visibly paused and glanced down at itself. "Huh... that's a good question... strange. Maybe its because I'm a God Construct, or that the Angel infused me as a Kaioshin? I dunno."

Pan smirked. "I'm totally jealous. You get to stay a girl forever, I eventually have to get old and wriiiinklyyy."

The Doll gave her a perplexed look. "Wrinkly? Old?"

Pan paused briefly. "Oh, you... ummm... what does aging mean to you?"

"Getting a more stronger and refined body, losing the weakness of a child's body," answered the Doll.

Pan winced. "You know, I'm starting to think that the Gods and Angels are actually really cruel about making God Constructs. You really don't know much of anything outside of fighting and whatever else you picked up in my battle memories."

The Doll scowled. "You don't need to remind me about cruel Angels. Now answer the question, what does old and wrinkly mean?"

Oh gods, how was Pan supposed to answer that question to someone who had no concept of what it meant to grow old? This was kind of awkward.

"Umm... I'm not sure how to properly explain it," began Pan, trying to stall for time.

The Doll grew annoyed. "Were supposed to be sneaking into a time chamber, just answer the question and be done with... ugh, just put some images in your mind and I'll figure it out."

The Doll put a hand on Pan's forehead, and Pan obliged. She created an image of a baby, then a child, then a teenager, then a young woman, then a middle aged woman, then an aging woman, then an elderly woman.

The Doll visibly recoiled. "The last image was so frail, do we really grow so weak as we age?"

Pan shrugged. "Ahuh."

The Doll looked displeased. "Then I hope that being a God Construct fully stops me from aging then. Let's go."

Pan rolled her eyes and spoke as they moved. "You know, one of these days I have to actually learn how to block off my mind. Grandpa, Odianna, some random person screwing with my mind, and now you. Everyone keeps getting in so easily."

The Doll shrugged. "I agree, defending ones mind would be a valuable ability to repel mental attacks during battle."

Pan rolled her eyes. The Doll totally missed that Pan was giving her a friendly jab. She had a lot of work to do with it, no, with _her_. It filled Pan with a strange sense of pity for the Doll. She had assumed that the Doll, up until the Doll had revealed herself to her, was a mindless construct for fighting, was an _it_. In a way she was, but, she had a mind of her own and could learn. Pan hoped she could teach her how to have a friend, because, frankly the Doll could probably use one. Pan's face fell. They both could.

They continued to tip-toe through the palace, sneaking down the corridors until finally they arrived at the time chamber door. They exchanged glances, Pan smirking mischievously, while the Doll simply gave her a curious look, as if she wondered why they weren't just walking in.

Pan rolled her eyes, sighed, and opened the door before they quietly slipped inside and close it behind them.

Pan froze briefly, having an ominous sense of deja vu. The time chamber was so much like the one in Terra. It brought back a lot of bad memories of very bad training habits. She brushed the memories away, and refocused on the present. At long last she was going to get what she wanted, she was going to become a Super Saiyan God, then, she was going to deal with this abrupt situation. The fact that her power had apparently been stolen from her was alarming, she'd need to find a way to confirm it. If it was true, she would not blame the Doll for it, no, the bone to pick laid with Whis, and she was going to become strong enough to beat an answer out of him as to why he had done it...

* * *

 _Author's Notes:_

 _As a reminder, I treat 'Super Saiyan Rage' as an close-to-god-form._


	51. Before the Storm

_**Potara - Chapter 51: Before the Storm  
**_

* * *

Son Goku sighed quietly to himself, bringing the hoe down on the field. There wasn't much else to do today but help out in the farm, there hadn't been much to do any day as of late. To be frank, ever since Pan had disappeared months ago, everyone had gone into a quiet, sullen state. It was like they were all trapped in a brooding depression.

It hadn't really hit him until Pan was gone just how much she filled out everyone's lives. Back before he had made his wish for open dimensions, she was a source of happiness and fun, always trying to bring a smile to everyone's face. When she disappeared into the dimensions, it had consumed their every waking moment trying to find her, and those back home had been worried sick. When she came back, it had been trying to help her train and find some kind of peace that she never seemed to be able to attain after her trials. After the timeplanes, when she woke from her coma and they finally made her realize that chasing power would lead to a bad path, it was like welcoming an old friend back home, the old Pan had been back. She had been having a good time, having fun, laughing, smiling, making others smile...

Then the tournament, then, everything went _wrong_ , and now she was gone again, and he was partially to blame for it. The worse part wasn't even that she was gone. It was that they didn't have any clue where she was, and they were doing nothing to track her down. The inaction was painful to him, painful to everyone. Even the androids who had suggested they give Pan time to herself were starting to get edgy. They didn't really expect her to be gone over half a year, none of them had. To further add to the agitation, no one had seen ANY sign whatsoever of her, it was like she had vanished off the face of the world. He had even been fearful enough to go to the check in station to see if Pan had somehow died, thankfully that hadn't been the case.

He sighed and kept absentmindedly farming. While he had it bad, the worse was Videl. Gohan was getting really worried about his wife, even more than he was worried for Pan. Apparently, he had caught her drinking alcohol, which was something she never did outside of fancy social parties. He didn't understand the concern until Piccolo had sat him down and had a talk about human depression habits. That had woken him up to a lot of things he had missed with Pan when looking through her memories, and added to his growing agitation and concern about Pan's lengthy absence.

He sighed again. "Ah Pan, I just hope your okay."

 _FLASH_

Goku gave a start when Beerus and Whis descended from the sky and landed infront of him. "Beerus, Whis, what's up?"

Whis glanced around curiously. "Son Goku, have you seen Pan?"

Goku blinked a few times, growing curious. "Not since she first disappeared half a year ago, why?"

Whis frowned. "It would seem she did not return home. Hmm..."

Goku froze before narrowing his eyes. "What do you mean, _RETURN_ , home?"

Beerus shrugged. "Pan bribed Whis with food to get trained."

Goku stared at them in disbelief before groaning and smacking his head. Of course she did. She had been wanting to become a god for ages now. After the tournament and basically reverting to her power hungry mindset, that should have been obvious. So, that's where she had been, on Beerus's world training. Ugh... wait...

"If she's not with you now, then where is she?" demanded Goku, growing alarmed.

Whis hesitated. "Shes... disappeared."

Goku was glad Chi-Chi wasn't there. She would have fainted on the spot, and he wasn't doing much better himself.

"What do you mean, disappeared?" he demanded.

Beerus crossed his arms. "She was... taken... by a God Construct."

"A what?" asked Goku.

"A artificial creation based off her appearance and power," explained Whis, "She wanted a training partner. Now though, it seems to have gained a mind of its own and taken her somewhere."

Goku frowned, studying them. There was something off about their posture... were they... hiding something from him? He could feel that they were somewhat telling the truth, but not the full truth.

"Is this 'God Construct' dangerous?" asked Goku.

Whis nodded. "To Pan, yes, though, its significantly weaker than you, Vegeta, and Gohan, but not for much longer. They were both close to becoming Super Saiyan Blue before they vanished."

Goku frowned intently. "One second."

Goku fished through his pocket and pulled out his new ' _smarty-phone_ ' as Bra had called it. She had suggest they all get one a few months ago to keep in close contact incase Pan showed up or they needed something. He wasn't very good with it, but, she had shown him how to ' _text_ '.

He failed to flick activate it a few times before doing so, softly biting his tongue with irritation over using the weird gadget. He poked the bubbling squiggle box and flicked down to the group conversation labeled 'The Gang'. Now for the hard part...

It was an agonizingly slow process to simply try to hunt and poke the small letters without garbling the message. Five minutes full of backspaces later he finally managed to type: 'PAN TROUBLE MEET CAPSULE CORP' and hit send. Ugh... he hated using this thing.

"Were all meeting at Capsule Corporation," said Goku, "We'll try to help find Pan and this 'God Construct'."

They flew without a word. The entire time though, Goku kept a careful watch on them. They were oddly tense, they were usually far more relaxed and composed, something about this situation was really setting them off, and it made him wary.

Goku was surprised that he was one of the last ones to arrive. "Yo!"

Videl immediately rushed at him and put her arms on his shoulder and started shaking him. "PLEASE! Where's Pan? You said trouble, whats going on? Is she okay? Please tell me she's not hurt!"

Gohan put a hand on her shoulder and gently pulled her back. "Easy honey, let him speak."

Goku turned and eyed Whis. "Explain it again."

Whis sighed. "Pan has been training with us the last few months and disappeared earlier today after being taken by a 'God Construct'."

There was silence for a moment before utter chaos broke out and everyone started yelling and asking questions at once.

Whis held up his hand for silence. "I came here in search because this is the only planet I know of that either Pan or the construct would know about. The construct was created based off Pan to be her sparring partner. It resembles her exactly, except for the clothes of the Kaioshin that it wears. The God Construct was supposed to only be exist for the purpose of training and fighting, though, we suspect something might have gone wrong in its creation, I haven't had much practice with creating them I'm afraid."

Piccolo frowned. "How strong is this 'God Construct'?"

"About as strong as Pan is, maybe a bit more," said Whis, "They are both only slightly below entry god tier. I suspect both of them would become Super Saiyan Blue with only another week of training."

Gohan rubbed his head. "Huh, shoulda figured Pan would go for god."

Vegeta raised an eyebrow. "Both of them? The construct is a Saiyan?"

Whis tilted his head. "Somewhat. It was created from strands of Pan's hair and a lot of ki."

Krillin stepped up. "Is it dangerous to us? I want to help, but uh, most of us can't lay a hand on anyone even at the Super Saiyan level, forget about the god level."

Whis nodded. "It should be assumed that the God Construct is extremely dangerous. It should be destroyed on sight."

Goku frowned intently and shifted his eyes towards Piccolo. Their eyes met, and he could see the Namekian shared his suspicion. Why would they want it so suddenly destroyed? There wasn't even proof it was dangerous or had done anything to Pan, it had only teleported away with her. And while that WAS a bit concerning, it was nothing that demanded it be destroyed. There was more going on here than met the eye, and it was concerning. Since when did Whis and Beerus lie to them?

Vegeta scowled. "Hmph. We'll handle it. Bulma, start going through your surveillance footage of the portal building to see if they snuck through there. Otherwise, everyone split into groups of three and start flying by the world. Kakarot, Gohan, stay a moment."

Everyone scattered, leaving only the three of them and the gods remaining.

Vegeta eyed the gods briefly. "Off with you, you can search as well."

Beerus nodded. "Very well."

Goku's eyes went wide as Beerus and Whis left. Since when did Beerus actually dirty his hands in work like this? Usually he would have just said on a lawn chair and sipped soda while they all did the work.

Vegeta narrowed his eyes. "I do not appreciate being played the fool. Something else is happening."

Gohan nodded. "Agreed."

Goku said nothing, his mind whirling.

Vegeta rubbed the bridge of his nose for a moment. "So then, assuming Pan isn't under duress and being kept unconscious, where would she be?"

"Training," said Goku reflexively.

Vegeta nodded again. "And if she were training, then where would she be doing it as to avoid detection?"

All three of them answered at once. "The Hyperbolic Time Chamber."

* * *

Pan gave a cry of power and threw a heavy punch at the Doll, smashing it into her open palm. Their blue auras clashed and whirled around them, energy sparking off and flying in all different directions. They both struggled against one another for a moment before braking off and throwing themselves back to gain some distance.

Pan huffed and huffed. "Not... bad... I think... I'm going to call it for... this session..."

The Doll scoffed. "You tire to easily."

Pan winced before dropping out of Super Saiyan Blue. "Yeah yeah yeah, I know. I'm going to go grab something to eat, want anything?"

The Doll turned and began solo exercising. "I don't need to eat."

Pan rolled her eyes and started walking away. "Right, forgot, God Construct."

Pan silently started walking back to the time chamber building. These last few months in the time chamber had not exactly been what she was expecting. She had hopped to get to know the Doll better, and maybe befriend her. Instead, it had been nothing but train, train, and train some-more. Was this how she had been with the others? Ugh, it was infuriating. She just wanted to talk with her and get to know her better...

Then again, there really wasn't much to know. The Doll had been born less than a year ago, well, a month ago if time chamber time didn't count. It had nothing to identify as its own except for fighting memories, and an unrelenting fear of the gods killing her.

It made Pan pity her. She desperately wanted to show the Doll that there were things outside of fighting and training, that she could have fun and enjoy other people's company. Nothing she tried seem to work though, it was frustrating, especially with how cold and distant the Doll could be. Well, maybe that wasn't fair. She wasn't so much 'cold' as she was extremely blunt and truthful, not to mention had no knowledge or experience with matters outside fighting.

She walked into the time chamber pantry, opened the fridge, fished some food out, and walked to the table. She started brooding to herself as she chowed down.

She ought to have been happy, training like this and getting so much stronger, but, she strangely wasn't. They had achieved Super Saiyan Blue one month into the time chamber training. Pan had wanted to celebrate, but, the Doll hadn't even considered it a worthy milestone, saying that the power did not come close to rivaling a God of Destruction nor an Angel.

Man had that been a downer, a major depressing downer. She had dreamed of becoming a Saiyan god for so long, only to have the Doll basically spit on the achievement and treat it as nothing. She couldn't exactly blame the Doll, she really didn't understand the sentiment behind Pan's happiness, and ultimately WAS correct. Super Saiyan Blue didn't hold a candle to a God of Destruction. The only thing that could was the green power, and they couldn't even use it...

* * *

 _"Say, Doll, you said they put my power inside of you?" asked Pan._

 _The Doll nodded. "They did."_

 _"Can you use it?" asked Pan._

 _The Doll hesitated. "No, for some reason, it doesn't respond. I have a hunch on how to properly use it, but nothing happens."_

 _Pan grew perplexed. "Could you show me?"_

 _The Doll nodded and closed her eyes, clenching her fists, her breathing growing rapid. A fearful look cross her face, much to Pan's confusion. To her shock, a green glow surrounded the Doll, confirming that Whis had infact stolen her power and put it into the Doll._

 _Suddenly, the energy cackled and fizzled out... but not before a green bolt of energy ran down Pan's arm, startling her. "Wha...?"_

 _The Doll frowned. "It... resonated with you. Almost as if... wait... did he not extract it all?!"_

 _Pan grew confused. "Huh?"_

 _The Doll grew agitated. "The power inside of me... it's not complete... its been missing something, missing obviously whats still remaining inside of you. Neither of us will be able to use it..."_

* * *

That had been another mortifying experience for Pan. Not only was the green power lost to her, it was lost to the Doll as well. Whis had screwed them both. It had just added to the frustration and desperation they found themselves in.

It was depressing in a way. Even if they trained five years in the time chamber, she didn't think they'd be able to take on Beerus together, let alone Whis... what were they going to do?

* * *

The Doll gave a sigh of relief when Pan finally left to take her break. "Finally, I don't have to listen to her constant prattling."

The girl was an extreme annoyance and aggravation. Sometimes, the Doll wondered if the girl was worth the effort to train with. She was a tool, useful for growing stronger, and maybe one day as an ally in battle. But, if Pan ever turned on her or was no longer useful, she'd dispose of her.

It grinded on her, having to keep civil around the girl. The girl acted far to carefree at times. They were here to TRAIN, not gossip or relax. The things that girl tried to get her to do, or did to her, was alarming.

Bubble bath? Unnecessary. Hair braiding? Pointless. Telling jokes? She didn't get any of them. Talking about feelings and memories? Confusing and awkward. The act of the 'hug' was also a conundrum to her. What purpose did it serve? She had thought Pan was doing a surprise attack and had thrown her through a wall when she had tried it. The girl constantly tried to chat with her, and when the Doll had confronted her about it, she admitted to being 'lonely'.

Lonely? The Doll scoffed. She knew loneliness. In the month since she had first been born. She had spent YEARS being stuffed away inside Whis's staff pocket dimension. That was true, agonizing loneliness.

Ultimately, the Doll found that everything the girl did was a nagging experience. If she didn't need the girl as a sparing partner to get stronger, she might have punched her head off months ago. The girl was almost a hindrance, and with how the girl held onto a portion of the 'Green' power, she was in a way holding the Doll back from claiming absolute power.

And that had stumped the Doll. She had always assumed she'd just be able to use the power. She had never actually tried it until Pan had asked her do, and it had sent her into a near panic. Without that Green power, what chance did they actually have? She had Pan's memories, a Super Saiyan Blue wasn't strong enough. If BOTH of them could learn to use the Kaio-Ken along with the transformation, maybe they could beat Beerus if they tag teamed him. Whis? Probably not.

It sent another wave of fear down her spine. Death, the prospect of death for some reason scarred her, badly. She feared it, oh how she feared it. She hated the source of her fear, the gods and angels, and found herself wanting to kill them, but lacking the power to do so.

What could be done though? The Doll reached up and began fiddling with her Potara Earring, one of the few nervous habits she had started to develop that found her some relief. There was a ' _plunk_ ' as she accidentally took it off and dropped it. She snatched it out of the air and made to put it back on before pausing.

Slowly, she raised the Potara out infront of her face. "A Potara Earring."

A memory of Pan's hit her...

* * *

 _Vegetto handed her the bean bag and Bulla walked off. Vegetto turned to face them, looking over Gohan, Pan, Goku, and Chronoa while keeping an eye on Vegeta who had landed a ways from them. Pan noted how stunned Grandpa was, and wary Gohan looked. Even Chronoa looked dumbstruck to see this 'Vegetto'._

 _"Who is that?" Pan asked._

 _Gohan glanced down at her. "Dad told me about him, he's a temporary Potara Fusion between dad and Vegeta."_

 _"Permanent," corrected Vegetto._

 _Pan looked back and forth between them, not understanding at all. She got that he was a fusion, like Gotenks was, but, she felt a bit confused. Dad had said temporary, but the fusion said permanent. Which one was it?_

* * *

The Doll grew thoughtful. "I have some knowledge of this from my inheritance as a Kaioshin God Construct. Put a Potara Earring on opposite ears, and two beings fuse."

She smiled wickedly. "If I fused with Pan, not only would I grow stronger, I would also regain the whole of the Green power."

She frowned intently. "But... how exactly does 'fusing' work? Who is in control of the fusion? Would it be me? Would it be Pan? Would we share control? I'm not sure exactly how it works."

She smirked. "If it came down to a contest of wills, I'd crush her, easily, I'm sure of it!"

The Doll nodded to herself and glanced towards the main room of the time chamber, sighting Pan sitting at a table. The Doll focused on Pan's right ear, and heald up the Earring to block it.

"Yes, an excellent backup plan," said the Doll with glee, "If we can't match the god and the angel, I'll simply force a Potara fusion and take control of the fused body. Not that I really want to share."

She tilted her head. "Or perhaps I could trick her into it instead? I'm not sure if she would freely let me put the Earring on her ear. Perhaps afterwords, if the fusion is permanent instead of temporary, I could simply erase her presence."

The Doll nodded with satisfaction. "A perfect plan indeed."

The Doll moved back to the time chamber's main room and sat down against a wall to rest. She watched Pan, who had fallen asleep on the table, drool leaking out of her mouth. Ugh, disgusting.

She waited patiently for the girl to rest and wake up so they could continue training. Hours ticked by before a thought struck her. It would be so easy to do the fusion right now. She was sleeping, was defenseless to stop her. Perhaps she should try it now and... wait... was the time chamber door opening?

Her heart skipping to her throat, she watched as the door opened, and three figures entered the room...

* * *

 _Author's Notes:_

 _Poor Pan, trying to make friends with, and fight alongside a God Construct that want's nothing more than to use her as a means to an end._

 _Just incase you guys were wondering, no, the Doll is not a good guy, not at all. Don't forget, by infusing it with the scraps of souls and a mind, the Doll is a creation of **TOWA** more than Whis at this point. Treachery, betrayal, and disregard for individual life come naturally to it._

 _On that note, the Doll does not have a nice plan in store for Pan, in fact, its downright terrifying. What exactly would a ' Forced' Potara fusion mean?_

 _To re-iterate a point. The Doll has very little understanding of how a Potara fusion works. She doesn't really understand that the fusion is its own person. Still, a Potara Fusion is meant to be a willing union... a forced one leaves much to be questioned, much indeed..._


	52. Rage Against the Gods

_**Potara - Chapter 52: Rage Against the Gods**_

* * *

Goku walked into the time chamber with Vegeta and Gohan on his heels. His eyes widened happily to see Pan sleeping at a table, and to his amusement, seeing drool coating the table outside of her mouth. He tilted his head, detecting another presence. To Pan's left, sitting against the wall, was... another Pan in Kai clothing? Oh, that had to be the God Construct.

The God Construct had gone rigid and was eying them with extreme distrust and wariness. "Pan, wake up, NOW!"

Pan gave a start and rubbed her eyes. "H-huh?"

Pan sleepily eyed Goku. "Grandpa?"

Goku held up a hand in greeting. "Hiya! We've been really worried about you Pan."

Pan blinked a few times, fully coming to, and then went very still, tensing. "..."

Goku frowned. "Easy Pan, we just want to talk."

"Go away," ordered Pan, "Were training!"

"Really? Looked like you were napping in your own drool grandbrat," retorted Vegeta.

Pan blushed with embarrassment and wiped off her face. "S-shut up!"

The God Construct rose to its feet. "Pan, be ready."

Goku eyed it. "Were not here to fight, we just want to talk to Pan and figure out why Beerus and Whis..."

The God Construct's eyes went wide. "They were sent here by them!"

Pan tensed.

Goku winced. "Wait, were not..."

To his shock, the God Construct went Super Saiyan Blue and released a Kamehameha at him. Goku went Blue himself and crossed his arms before being hit and sent rocketing back through the time chamber door...

* * *

Pan could have sworn aloud. This was not how she wanted to meet her family and friends again after being gone for half a year. She wasn't even sure the Doll was right, they hadn't seemed aggressive, but, she didn't exactly trust them either. It was to late now anyway. Guess it was time to see how far their training had come.

Pan turned Super Saiyan Blue and rushed Vegeta as the Doll rushed Gohan, knocking them through the door and out into the lookout. She might still be pissed at her father, but she wouldn't fight him in a real battle.

"Knock them out, don't kill them," ordered Pan.

The Doll frowned at her before nodding. "As you wish, we'll need our strength for the Gods after all, I doubt were going to go unnoticed.

Goku, Gohan, and Vegeta recovered from the surprise of their attack and stood together in a standoff.

"Pan! Stop!" yelled Gohan, "What the heck are you doing?!"

"What am I doing? What are YOU doing?" demanded Pan, "Were you sent after us by Whis?"

Gohan frowned. "Well, Whis IS looking for you and the God Construct..."

"Doll, her name is Doll," interrupted Pan with irritation.

Goku tilted his head. "Weird name."

"Whats going on Pan?" demanded Gohan, "Why does Whis want that Doll destroyed?"

The Doll went rigid. "I will NOT be killed!"

The Doll waved a hand and unleashed a wave of ki, forcing the three Saiyans to dodge. The energy wave leveled part of the lookout, making Pan wince. Oh boy, Piccolo and Dende were going to be PISSED.

Goku glared down at them. "Okay, that's uncalled for. I'm tempted to just leave you to Whis if your going to be that rude."

Pan was fuming instantly and screamed at him. "You mean like you left Odianna to die to Kale?!"

Goku looked like he had been stuck. "Pan... I'm..."

Pan flew at him in a rage and drove a fist deep into his stomach while his defenses were lowered. There was an audible * _crunch_ *, followed by him spewing blood and being sent flying at the impact before he landed on the floor of the lookout, wincing painfully and cradling his stomach.

Pan's jaw dropped. His guard might have been down, but, she... she had actually managed to hurt him. It made her gleeful to have made such progress... but... making Grandpa bleed... hurting him in anger... it made her feel god awful and guilty...

Vegeta and Gohan were staring at her in shock.

Gohan was momentarily speechless. "Pan... you just..."

Vegeta narrowed his eyes. "Is that it then grandbrat? Is this your true colors? Does your family truly mean nothing to you that you'd fight them for no damn reason?"

Oh gods... the guilt was starting to eat at her like crazy. "I... I'm..."

"Pan!" shouted the Doll, "I can feel the Destroyer god! We can't take on all of them at once. Let's GO!"

Pan trembled a bit and spoke weakly, tears streaming down her face. "S-sorry G-grandpa."

Pan turned and fled with the Doll, shooting over and down past the lookout...

* * *

Goku struggled to rise to his feet and tried to call after his granddaughter. "W-wait! Pan!"

Gohan was at his side and helping him up. "You okay dad?"

Goku nodded and massaged his stomach before wiping blood-drool off chin. "Y-yeah. I wasn't expecting her to hit me. Whaaa, she really hurts when she's mad, that's going to leave a mark."

He went silent for a moment before speaking, "She... sure has come a long way. Has it even been five years since she wasn't even a Super Saiyan? Since she didn't even know the Kaio-Ken? Damn... she really grew up fast."

Gohan's face softened for a moment. "Yeah... she did. To fast if you ask me."

Goku turned and narrowed his eyes glaring at Vegeta. "And hey! Was that really necessary to say to her Vegeta?"

Vegeta frowned at him. "Don't you start with me Kakarot! She struck you with the intent of harming you, what exactly did you expect me to say? If she hadn't gone all mushy afterwords I would have thought her beyond hope at this point."

Goku grew pissed. "C'mon Vegeta! She was mad! I wouldn't hold it against her. And for your information, I would NEVER give up on Pan! Never. Let's go, we need to get to her before Beerus does. If she crosses him, this could get really bad."

"Shouldn't we come up with some kind of plan first?" asked Gohan, "That Doll thing is really jumpy. If we say even one thing wrong it attacks. And if Beerus gets there were going to need to figure out how to diffuse the situation."

Goku shook his head and put two fingers to his head and said. "No time! Hand's on my shoulder, lets go!"

* * *

Pan flew rapidly behind the Doll. "What do we do? Forget the others, Beerus and Whis are going to be on us before long!"

The Doll growled at her. "I know! We're heading to Capsule Cooperation! If I recall in your memories, there's a portal to other Dimensions there. That's our escape route.

They flew hard and fast, reaching their destination in seconds. Unfortunately, before they could go any further, they were cut off by Beerus and Whis.

Beerus frowned. "There you are."

 _ZIP_

Goku, Gohan, and Vegeta appeared a little ways off.

Beerus eyed them for a moment before speaking. "Take Pan and leave. Our business is with the Doll."

Pan glared at him. "Like hell will I leave another friend to die! You want her? Your going to have to go through me Beerus!"

Beerus frowned. "Child, I have no desire to fight you."

Pan spit in his direction. "Yeah, right, just like you and Whis had no desire to steal power from me."

Beerus said nothing in response, a tad hint of guilt in his eyes.

Goku looked back and forth between them, looking confused. "Huh?"

Gohan frowned intently. "What do you mean steal power?"

Pan scoffed. "As if you don't know."

Vegeta scowled down at her. "Get off your high horse brat. Whatever is going on between you and the gods, we have no knowledge of it."

Goku frowned and turned to Beerus. "What's going on?"

Beerus turned his head and warned. "Stay out of this Son Goku. I will not kill your granddaughter, but, the Doll must be destroyed."

Goku frowned intently. "Beerus... this isn't like you. I know your a destroyer god and all, but your not mindless about it. What's going on?"

"Do NOT interfere in the business of gods," warned Beerus before turning his attention to Pan and the Doll.

Pan tensed. "Jezz... this is it..."

"Were not really going to let her take on Beerus, are we?" exclaimed Gohan.

"By all means, remove her from the fight then," said Beerus dryly.

"Stay the HELL OUT OF IT!" yelled Pan at them, "I don't trust you at all! If you help them, I will NEVER forgive you, and I will hate you forever!"

Goku and Gohan looked pained, and Vegeta merely crossed his arms and 'hmph'd'. Pan and the Doll exchanged glances, nodded, powered up to their maximum, and rushed the Destroyer. Beerus blocked the Doll and swung his tail at Pan, smacking her away.

Pan tumbled head over heels through the air. Oh wow... that hurt. She righted herself, shook off the pain, and rushed back into the fight before Beerus could launch an attack. Their only chance was to team up and keep him on the defensive.

She threw a punch at his head while the Doll came from behind. Beerus kicked forward, forcing Pan to dodge, before turning a hand to catch the Doll's fist. He turned and threw her at Pan. The two hit and tumbled through the air.

Beerus seemed amused. "For a duo that dares to challenge a god, your not very impressive."

The Doll shoved Pan off of her. "Move it!"

Pan winced. "Sorry."

She frowned and stared up at Beerus, who was looking down at them with confidence in his eyes. There was no aura of power about him at all, he wasn't fighting seriously. They were inexperienced Super Saiyan Blues, not even a full year of using the form under their belts. They did not stand a chance at this level. There was only one way now...

She turned her head. "Doll, do you have my memories of the Kaio-Ken?"

The Doll nodded. "I do."

"Think you can pull it off with Super Saiyan Blue?" asked Pan.

The Doll hesitated. "I know how to do it, but, my body has no experience using and adapting to the Kaio-Ken. I'm unsure if it would work, drain me of power, or simply outright kill me."

Pan frowned intently and refocused on Beerus who was watching them with curiosity. "I spent a lot of time using the Kaio-Ken, I mastered it in a way my Grandpa never even considered. I should be able to pull it off. Focus on supporting me, I'll take point."

Pan took in a deep breath and slowly let it out; This was it, do or die, she narrowed her eyes and called on the technique. "KAIO-KEN!"

The red aura of power engulfed her body as a second aura to her blue one. She shuddered. Oh gods... the power... it was insane. It was almost to much to handle, it took almost her full concentration to maintain control. She shook her head and settled her mind. It was holding, her body still had a keen memory of using the technique, it had not forgotten the trials she had went through with it.

She narrowed her eyes at Beerus. "I'll give you a chance to back down!"

Beerus's response was to merely raise an eyebrow. He didn't seem impressed. Pan gave a cry of power and rushed at him, the Doll following underneath her. Pan charged head on and threw a deliberately obvious punch. Beerus caught it easily and half-turned to catch the Doll's punch when she came from behind.

Pan used the distraction and shouted. "Times three!"

 _WOOSH!_

The Kaio-Ken aura expanded and she pulled her top half back while pulling her buttom half up, kicking both her feet towards Beerus's face as he turned back to her.

 _WHAM!_

They connected and sent the Destroyer god tumbling through the air; Pan stared at the sight in shock. "I... I actually landed a hit on Beerus!"

Beerus righted himself and glared down at her. "That you did, girl. I suppose I might have to use a tiny portion of my power after all."

A faint purple glow surrounded the destroyer. He rushed at Pan and drove a fist into her stomach before she could react. Pan tumbled through the air and hit the ground, leaving a hole in the lawn of Capsule Corporation. She cringed, losing her aura and power, struggling to crawl out of the hole.

"PAN!" came the scream of a familiar voice.

She turned her head to see her mom flying towards her, a number of the Z-fighters at her heel. "S-stay back! Keep her back!"

18 lunged forward and grabbed Videl, hauling her backwards. "This is no place for us to be."

Videl turned and glared at her. "She's in trouble! She needs me!"

18 scoffed. "Against a destroyer god? Good luck with that."

Pan shook her head and refocused, noting that Beerus was eying the newcomers with annoyance. This was bad, more of the Z-fighters were on the way, she could feel them. There were way to many people here. They could easily get caught in the crossfire...

 _ZIP_

She was surprised to see Supreme Kai Shin and the Elder Kai appear a ways behind her. Jezz... when it rained it poured. Was everyone going to show up for this? Wait... they were gods too... were they also in on this?

She shot them a distrustful look before forcing her body to go Super Saiyan Blue again. She had failed to many people in her, life, she was NOT going to let another friend die!

"AHHHHHH!" half-roared, half-screamed Pan.

She knew she was _NOT_ ready to do this, but did it anyway. "KAIO-KEN TIMES TEN!"

The energy exploded around her, sending tremors through the ground and blowing back the Z-fighters. She exploded upward and slammed an elbow into Beerus's face, sending him flying backwards. The Doll came from behind him, kicking him back towards Pan. She surged forward and two-hand slammed Beerus towards the ground.

Beerus righted himself before he could hit, a very annoyed look crossing his face. "You are starting to test my patience Son Pan."

She had hit him with a times ten attack... and he didn't even look winded... what... what were they supposed to do against this?!

Beerus narrowed his eyes. "This ends, now."

Beerus blurred, moving faster than Pan could follow, and slapped her, sending her spinning through he air. She stopped herself and held a hand to her reddened check. Damn that stung like hell.

 _WHAM!_

She turned her head, sighting Beerus bury his fist into the Doll's gut, knocking her out of Super Saiyan Blue. Beerus grabbed the Doll by her throat and lifted her up. He held out a an open palm infront of her face. Pan saw into the Doll's eyes, sighting the pure, unrivaled terror in them.

Beerus was about to kill her... no... NO!

"STOP!" she screamed, "KAIO-KEN TIMES TWENTY!"

Her body burned, it felt like it was on fire, like it was dying. She moved faster than she had ever moved in her life and slammed into the Destroyer before he could kill the Doll, smashing him away. She cupped her hands to her side and began channeling all the energy she could.

"Super KAMEHAMEHAAAAAAAAAA!" she screamed.

The Doll was flung back as the energy wave ripped through the air at Beerus. The Destroyer God stood his ground, an infuriated look on his face. He held out an open palm towards the oncoming energy, a purple aura of power engulfing him.

"Destruct," said Beerus, a single word, but filled with so much power.

The energy wave disintegrated before it could even hit Beerus. Pan stared at him with hopeless despair before her power gutted. She fell through the air and landed on the ground in a heap, unable to move, completely exhausted and drained.

"No... no... I can't... I can't let this happen...," whispered Pan to herself.

She... she had failed again... another friend was going to die... no... she couldn't live with herself if this happened! There had to be some way! She saw Beerus start to close in on the terrified Doll. No no no no no!

Pan closed her eyes, tears streaming down her face. There was only one way. If she couldn't fight him... then someone else had to. Despite everything that had happened between them, she desperately prayed that she was wrong about him, that her Grandpa would help.

She looked up at him, sighting him looking down at her with pity, concern, and a huge amount of distress. She needed this... she needed him! She needed him to be the hero she always dreamed of him to be! If there was one time to not let her down, this was it.

"Grandpa please!" screamed Pan, "Save her!"

* * *

Goku heard her cries, and saw the desperation in her eyes. Gods... it was painful to see. She had lost so much throughout the last few years, had been through to much. If this happened, he wasn't sure Pan would recover. He didn't think he could live with himself for hurting Pan again. If he didn't do this, she would never forgive him, she would hate him till the day she died, and even beyond it. He had already lost so much with her after letting Odianna go, he could not do this to her again.

He closed his eyes for a moment and sighed. Crossing Beerus was not something he wanted to do, but, he would not let Pan down, not this time. Goku opened his eyes, put his fingers to his head, turned Super Saiyan Blue, and teleported between Beerus the Destroyer and the Doll.

Beerus narrowed his eyes. "Son Goku, I suggest you stand aside."

Goku telepathically shouted at the Doll, " _Take Pan and run, now! If it comes to a fight, I wont last long against Beerus._ "

Out of the corner of his eyes, he saw the Doll begin to descend towards Pan.

Goku glared at Beerus. "Why the heck is this even happening? Why don't you leave the Doll thing alone? Is this really what you want Beerus?"

Beerus scowled at him. "I have no desire to cross you or your family. However, that Doll must be destroyed, its to dangerous to keep alive. For your sake, and your Granddaughter's sake. Stay out of my way."

"Sorry, I can't do that," replied Goku, "I can't fail Pan, not again, not after failing her so many times in her life already."

Beerus merely stared at him, mulling over his choices.

Goku half turned his head, keeping one eye on Beerus and one eye on Pan. She was trembling, staring up at him, tears streaming down her face, hope, relief, trust, and faith in her eyes. It made him feel... it made him feel so _damn_ good to see that, he couldn't even properly describe it. Whatever happened next, even if Beerus would go as far as to kill him, it would be worth it, just to see Pan's trust in him restored.

The Doll landed next to Pan and looked down at her, slowly shaking her head. "Even with the Kaio-Ken, in the end, you really are worthless."

Goku felt a surge of anger as Pan winced and replied weakly, "I... I'm sorry..."

Unbelievable. Why would Pan want to stick her neck out for someone like that? After everything Pan had tried to do for her? Standing up to Beerus the Destroyer knowing full well who he was took a heart and courage that very few in existence had. To spit on that was so disturbing it made his mind spin at the implications. Why WAS Pan fighting for her? What the hell was going on between them and the gods?

The Doll glanced up at Goku, a smirk on her face, before she looked down at Pan and took off her right Potara earring. "But, that's fine. I don't need you, I just need your body."

Goku blanked for a moment. What was she...

The Doll knelt down, shifted Pan's head, and put the Potara earring on Pan's right ear. Goku's eyes went wide with recognition, was she serious? What did she think that was going to accomplish? Even a Potara fused Super Saiyan Blue wouldn't stand a chance against Beerus.

"W-what are you doing?" exclaimed Pan as the earring on her ear and the one on the Doll's began to shine.

"I'm making you disappear, and I'm becoming whole," said the Doll with glee.

Goku stared at her in confusion. Disappear? The Potara earrings were a temporary fusion, what in the world was she going on about?

Their body's surged at each-other, and the last thing Goku ever heard Pan scream was, "GRANDPA!"

* * *

 _Author's Notes:_

 _Just so you guys CLEARLY understand the severity of this: Goku thinks the Earrings are temporary, but he's missing out on one very key fact as to what the Doll actually is. It's a - **Kaioshin** \- God construct, there was a reason I had Whis infuse it with that essence, more than just playing 'dress the Doll'. When they realize this, realize that Pan isn't coming back, oh man, its going to be **BAD**.  
_

 _Also..._

 _Shout-out to_ _HakaishinChampa for his comment last chapter. I actually completely forgot that the Elder Kai was a fusion. I had to go ahead into the draft I'm working on for the next chapter to create, add in, and give an explanation of how it would be different. Primarily, the Elder Kai's fusion was accidental, while Pan/Doll's fusion was intentional, with malice behind the act. I gave it a little more depth in the explanation you'll see next chapter._

 _I like comments like that, those that actually make me think and have to adapt my writing. ^_^_

 _Anyway... onto the depressing stuff..._

 _Pan's Eulogy : _

_Son Pan. You made our lives a living hell through the abomination that was DB:GT. From the moment I started this story, I had every intent of making you suffer, killing you once, and then removing you from existence. I followed through with it, and now your debt has been paid._

 _Son Pan. You kind of grew on me as I wrote you, you made me feel rather guilty about some of the shit I put you through, especially the whole Coli mind-break into suicide part. Ultimately, I think I ended up using you much better than GT did, though, I *might* be biased. I put you through living hell, warped your mind and psyche with constant struggles and differing trauma, but made you grow into the defiant, but strong girl you ended on this chapter. I know I sure as hell wouldn't take on no Destroyer God.  
_

 _Hopefully Dragonball Super makes better use of your character than GT ever did. Rest in peace Son Pan. Goodbye._


	53. Potara (Part 1)

_**Potara - Chapter 53: Potara (Part 1)  
**_

* * *

In that split second before the two bodies hit, Goku acted on instinct. "STOP!"

The pure, raw desperation in Pan's voice scared him, it scared him to the depths of his soul. He rushed for them, but it was to late. Pan and the Doll's bodies collided, and an explosion and shockwave erupted from them that sent Goku crashing to the ground. Goku looked up, instead of seeing a merged body, a huge ball of energy floated there and began to rise into the air. Red lightning began to race along the energy. He braced himself as shockwaves began to rip from the energy, sending cracks in the earth below them.

"HERESY!" screamed the Elder Kai.

Goku looked at him. "What?"

"ITS HERESY!" screamed the Elder Kai.

Goku looked at the ball of energy sparking with red lightning, growing confused. "What's going on? Why aren't they fusing?"

"Because you idiot!" yelled the Elder Kai, "A Potara fusion is supposed to be a willing fusion! The Doll forced it! She FORCED Pan into the soul merge!"

Goku frowned. "Like you and that old witch?"

The Elder Kai scoffed. "Hardly, the difference is the intent, and with godly magic, it makes all the difference! My fusion was accidental, there was no malice or ill will about it. And while that witch was a greedy old bat, she wasn't that bad at heart. When they began the process, they recognized and accepted what was happening, grudgingly if I must say, they didn't struggle or battle against the process, they let it happen. This though?"

The Elder Kai shook his head with disgust. "This is forced, one will against the other, one will trying to dominate and subjugate while the other tries to survive. It's practically soul rape! I don't... I don't know whats going to happen. Souls are not meant to be forcibly fused like this. I fear for her, I fear for Pan's soul."

A sick feeling forced its way into Goku's stomach. Why? Why had he just stood there and watched until it was too late? Goku gave a startled cry and fell to a knee as another shockwave, the strongest one yet, ripped out of the energy and cracked the Capsule Corp building.

"Then we have to stop this!" cried out Gohan.

"No!" yelled the Elder Kai, "If you try to interfere now you might destroy both of their souls! All we can do is wait out the fusion and pray for Pan's soul."

Goku watched, feeling nervous, as the energy ball began to spin and churn. "W-what's happening now?"

"If I had to guess, a struggle," murmured the Elder Kai, "But, this isn't supposed to be a struggle. It's supposed to be a seamless, near instant transition."

"Has anything like this ever happened before?" asked Vegeta.

The Elder Kai frowned. "The last time a forced Potara fusion happened was well before my time, I think even before Beerus's time, back in the last God of Destruction's term. I know basically nothing about it except that its forbidden, that its an ultimate heresy."

"Oh Pan," whispered Videl weakly, "Please be okay."

"Pan's strong, she won't let that Doll win!" said Gohan with conviction.

"This isn't about winning or losing Gohan," said the Elder Kai, "Despite what that Doll might have said or thought, the Potara fusion is _NEITHER_ yet _BOTH_ Pan and the Doll. It is its own being made up of their souls, minds, and personalities. But, forced like this, I have no clue about how the outcome will turn out."

Suddenly, the red lightning faded away and the energy began to shrink. It began to outline the form of a girl about the same size as Pan had been. Inch by inch, the energy faded, revealing the fused body that had formed underneath it's power.

Goku's eyes went wide with shock as he took in the sight. It was _**HER**_. This fusion... it was _**HER**_! His mind shot back to the moment he had been about to make his wish to get rid of the Omni-Kings at the end of the first Universal Survival Tournament. The girl who had appeared that he had thought to be his granddaughter, the one who had stopped him from making the wish. She wasn't Pan, she was the Potara Fusion that had just formed infront of his very eyes. He stared at her, pure disbelief coating his face.

The Potara Fusion floated in the air, her eyes closed. It's clothes were a mix of the Kaioshin robes the Doll had worn, and the Turtle/Fox Hermit Gis Pan had worn. The top half was more Kaioshin, lightly dyed a white, orange hue with black outlines. The bottom half was separated by a black belt. Rather than be baggy pants, the bottom half was Gi like clothes in the same color as the top. Her feet were a strange cross between the black shoes Pan had, the Kaioshin shoes the Doll had worn. Her hair was black. Her earrings had strangely changed colors, rather than be the green the earrings had been before, they were a dark red, like the lightning coating the energy ball had been.

Slowly, the Potara Fusion descended to the ground and landed with a soft thud on her feet. It stood there, eyes closed, not moving, not speaking.

Nothing happened for about a minute before Videl spoke. "What's going on? She's not doing anything..."

The Elder Kai frowned. "The bodies may have fused, but, the mind and soul might still be struggling."

Vegeta crossed his arms. "Hmph. I thought a Potara fusion was supposed to be powerful, I hardly feel a damn thing coming from..."

They all stopped, their eyes going wide, as a ripple in the ground emanated from the Potara fusion. Goku began to sweat as he felt her ki heavily rise. So this is what it was like to feel a Saiyan Potara fusion's energy, rather than just be a part of it. Slowly, the fusion opened her eyes, revealing, to Goku's confusion, red irises.

"Neither of them had red eyes," Goku murmured in confusion.

"The earrings weren't red either," said Gohan.

"The eyes are said to be the gateway to the soul," said the Elder Kai, "You all saw the red negative energy that forced fusion created. The fusion is marred, an improper merging of soul and body. There will be many strange things to represent that, in body and mind I'd imagine."

The Fusion held up a hand and looked it over. "..."

She lowered her gaze, slowly examining herself, she spoke with one single voice, rather than a double echo. "This is... me?"

She clenched a fist, a little bit of ki engulfing it. "My... ki?"

Goten grew confused. "She seems surprised?"

Trunks nodded slowly. "Yeah, that's kind of weird. We never did this when first became Gotenks."

Goku said nothing, but, he was equally confused. He didn't remember Vegetto doing this either when he and Vegeta had temporarily fused. The fusion had instantly been aware of himself and had moved right to fight Majin Buu after a brief show off of power, same with Vegetto against Zamasu. The Elder Kai was right, this was going to be strange.

"Memories... I'm... Pan and the Doll?" whispered the Fusion in disbelief.

A dark look crossed her face. "The Doll..."

She spoke with hatred, "If the Doll was right in front of me, I'd strangle the life out of her for what she did to Pan."

"Hmph," said the Elder Kai, "Even that abomination knows what the Doll did was wrong."

Beerus landed a ways away from the Fusion. "So, shall we continue where we left off before Son Goku interrupted?"

The Fusion glanced to Beerus and frowned. "I have no real desire to fight you. I'll give you one chance, and only one, to back down. Otherwise, if you attack me, I will defend myself, and I will kill you without hesitation."

Beerus raised an eyebrow. "You seem rather confident of that."

The Fusion smirked. "I am."

"Then I suppose we will have to see," said Beerus.

The Fusion scowled. "I might hate the Doll, but she's right about you damn gods and angels. You act with impunity and disregard for everyone and everything that isn't more powerful than you are."

She turned to glare at up at Whis. "You created the Doll just to steal Pan's power, and then planned to dispose of it afterwords. You might be more despicable than the Doll itself."

"Wait, what?" said Goku.

The Fusion turned to look at him. "That's right Grandpa. The Doll overheard them. I think they feared that green energy Pan could use."

Goku turned and narrowed his eyes, glaring at Beerus. "Is this true?"

Beerus almost looked a little guilty. "Gods will do what they have to do."

Goku felt a huge spike of anger, how could they do this, how could they betray them, betray Pan like that? "I can't believe you do something so sickening! You and Whis are the ones who led to this happening, to that forced fusion. You know what Beerus, whatever happens now, happens. I'm not interfering on your behalf."

Vegeta crossed his arms. "Agreed, they reap what they sow, I will not step in."

Beerus scowled. "I do not need your help, nor do I need your approval. Never forget, I am a God of Destruction, its not my job to be fair."

"Oh but you would have needed their help," said the Fusion, an almost sinister grin on her face, "Not that it would have matter. All of you together wouldn't have stood a chance, not against me."

The hair on the back of Goku's neck began to stand up. There was nothing cocky or false in her tone. She was one-hundred percent dead serious in her belief of superiority. Either she was overconfident as hell, or she had something up her sleeve. A nervous bead of sweat dripped down Goku's face. In the fusion's eyes were an unfamiliar, deathly look that hadn't been there even at Pan's worst when she had fought against Coli.

Beerus chuckled. "Your quite sure of yourself, little Paoll."

The Fusion narrowed her eyes. "Excuse me? Paoll?"

Beerus began to mock her. "Didn't you know its proper procedure to mix the names of the fusees for a fusion? Must a god explain everything to a mortal? Since you never introduced yourself, I thought I might as well give you a name."

The Fusion glared at him and spoke with pure malice in her voice. "Like hell you will. Pan was a weakling who refused to follow her own path. She caved into everyone's expectations of her again and again, choosing to value other's lives over her own. The Doll was a honor-less, conniving, scheming, unforgivable betrayer who'd throw away anyone else's life at a moments notice without a care. I don't want anything to do with either of those two wastes of space."

Goku looked at the Fusion in disbelief. She sounded like she despised, like she hated _BOTH_ Pan and the Doll. She literally treated them as separate, lesser entities. He could understand that feeling towards the Doll, but towards Pan?! From what he could remember, even when he and Vegeta had been fused, Vegetto had always thought of them as two halves of who he was. This loathing and heightened self-importance was completely alien to him. It made him wary of the fusion with Pan's face, because it certainly was NOT his Granddaughter, not anymore...

Beerus seemed amused. "So, what DO you wish to call yourself then?"

The Fusion's face took a passive, uncertain look. "..."

She closed her eyes, thinking it over, and reached a hand up to fiddle with her ear, like a nervous habit. One of her earring's accidentally fell off, she reached down and snapped it out of the air before it could hit the ground and began to put it back on before she paused. Slowly, she brought the earring out in front of her, studying it.

The Fusion grinned. "Potara."

She put the earring back on. "You may call me Potara."

Goku's eyes went wide. Potara, that was the last thing that the Fusion had said before she disintegrated at the Universal Survival Tournament. She had been whispering her own name, as if trying to remember it. Wait a minute...

Goku's face paled as he remembered Bardock's warning...

* * *

 _Bardock turned to Goku. "Kakarot, you remember that person, don't you? The one who stopped you from making a certain wish at the end of the Universal Survival Tournament?"_

 _Goku stiffened, a shocked look crossing his face. "How do you know about... that person?"_

 _Bardock merely smiled and poked his head. "I can see the past too because of the ring."_

 _Goku nodded slowly, his eyes briefly turning towards Pan before going back to Bardock. "What about... that person?"_

 _"When the time comes, and you meet that person again...," began Bardock._

 _Goku's eyes went wide. "Wait, what? That person's alive?!"_

 _Bardock hesitated. "Not yet... well... in a manner of speaking, ish... grrr, its hard to explain without endangering that future."_

 _Bardock took in a breath and slowly let it out. "When the time comes, and you meet that person again, you need to stop that person from trying to commit the same mistake you were going to make with that wish of yours. If that person tries it, that person will die and everything will spin out of control. When the moment arrives, and you'll know it when it does, tell that person to have faith in 'them'."_

* * *

Goku stood there in a stupor. Bardock knew, he really, really knew what was going to happen. He understood now why Bardock had spoken carefully about her 'not yet' being alive. But, what Bardock had been hinting at, how far out of control was this going to spiral? Was this seriously going to escalate into Potara challenging the Omni-King himself?! Bardock told him that he couldn't let her, let Potara challenged the Omni-King, if she did, she'd die and everything would go wrong. So then... when was the right time to intervene? He didn't know... for now, he'd watch and wait...

Beerus raised an eyebrow. "Giving no honor to those who created you? Hmph."

Potara scowled at him. "As far as I'm concerned, the earrings and the godly fusion magic themselves deserve the honor, Pan and the Doll were merely the vessels. But enough about that, I'd rather we focus on the here and now..."

Potara's face took an almost maniacal look. "Pan could never figure it out, but the Doll did! She and she alone understood what it took to use Pan's green power."

Beerus narrowed his eyes. "Oh?"

Potara closed her eyes and ground her teeth, her body starting to tremble. "Fear, it was always fear that awakened the power, pure, raw, fear."

Goku's eyes went wide as a faint green aura began to emanate from the Fusion. No way... was she calling to the Green power at will!?

"AHHHHHH! roared Potara.

The sky around her ripped open and four green tears formed. Green energy shot out and flowed into Potara, bathing her in its power. The Earth rattled, the wind picked up, clouds formed, the sky darkened, and bolts of green lightning ripped along the clouds. Potara's ki disappeared a moment later as the infusion of power finished and the unnatural weather faded.

Unlike the last time that Pan had tapped into the power, Potara did not look crazy. She was calm, cool, and collected after the initial wave of fear to summon the power. She had the soft hint of a smirk, incredibly cocky, on her face. Her eyes and hair had gone green, radiating with a power that made his head spin even if he couldn't feel it.

Goku frowned, taking note of something strange. The sky, the air around as far as he could see. It seemed fainter... darker... as if it were drained somehow. It put him on edge, feeling unsure of what had just happened. Had Potara summoning the green power done this? It was unsettling.

Potara threw her arms to the side, closed her eyes, tilted her head back, breathed in, and then breathed out. "Glorious."

That simple word. It proved to him that Potara was in complete control of the power. He also doubted that the raw drain on Pan's body and ki would affect her either. Not only had both her fuses hit the Super Saiyan Blue level, she was a Potara Fusion, she was now on a whole other level.

But... just how strong was she? Back when Pan had been a Super Saiyan 2, the Green Energy had pushed her up to surpassing a very powerful Black in his Rose form. Now? He couldn't fathom how strong she'd be. Both her fusions were god tier in power, and she was a fusion of them. When she went green, her power would be beyond anything he had ever fought before, especially when she went Super Saiyan Green.

Beerus looked at her, perplexed. "A strange transformation."

Potara chuckled softly. "Strange you say? Well cat face, I say your the strange one."

Beerus grew angered for a moment before he strangely calmed himself. "Hmph."

He turned to look up at Whis. "What exactly is this? I can't feel a thing from her."

Goku's eyes went wide. Beerus couldn't? A God of Destruction couldn't feel her ki either? Goku's eyes turned to look up at Whis, but he was just as confused, with alarm on his face.

Beerus scowled and turned towards Potara, a purple aura of power engulfing him. "Hmph, very well. I suppose we'll do this the hard way..."

"Full power," interrupted Potara.

Beerus blinked. "Excuse me?"

"Go full power," ordered Potara, that same smirk unwavering on her face, "Otherwise you won't even be worth my time, and oh how I despise weak, miserable, cretins like you wasting my time."

Wow... this Fusion was one arrogant piece of work and liked to show it. Pan had been confident at times, but this was on a whole other level. Was this from the Doll? Or was it a quirk of the fusion process? He didn't know enough about the God Construct fusee to come to a conclusion on that.

Beerus narrowed his eyes. "My full power could destroy the planet with a flick of my wrist, rend the universe irreparably."

Potara's smirk did not fade. "So could mine."

Beerus huffed. "Fine then. Whis, shield the area as best you can."

"Lord Beerus, I do not think this is wise," said Whis uneasily.

Beerus hesitated for a moment before grumbling, "Just do it. I will not be challenged!"

Whis sighed and released a pulse of energy that surrounded the two fighters. With that, Beerus powered up, his purple energy roaring around him, purple bolts of lightning dancing around him. Goku couldn't help but grow nervous. This... this was serious... Beerus was actually going full power, this could become a complete and utter disaster. One wrong move and the Earth was done for.

Beerus finished a moment later. "Well then? Still so confident?"

Potara looked him over dismissively. "Is that all?"

Goku's eyes went wide. Was she serious?

"Gods... its like Gohan and Cell when the boy first ascended," whispered Vegeta with alarm, "I don't... I don't think Beerus has a chance."

Gohan nodded grimly. "I don't think this is going to end well, one way or another."

Goku turned his head and called to the other Z-Fighters. "Everyone! Behind us! Now! We'll do what we can to shield you if this goes bad!"

The Z-Fighters got in place, and Goku turned back to watching the two titans of power stare eachother down. Goku, Gohan, and Vegeta went Super Saiyan Blue and braced themselves. Without warning, faster than even Goku could follow, Potara closed the distance between herself and Beerus and buried her fist into his stomach.

Beerus's eyes bulged near out of their socket, his godly blood erupting out of his mouth. He doubled over Potara's arm, shaking and heaving before his power faded and he slumped over, unconscious. Potara gave him a disgusted like before flicking her wrist and discarding him, like he was trash. Beerus fell to the ground with a thud and laid there unmoving.

She... Potara... she had just one shot a full-powered God of Destruction... a feat he had only ever heard of Whis doing...

For the umpeenth time since he had first laid eyes on it. Goku could only try and guess: Just what WAS that Green power?!

* * *

 _Author's Notes:_

 _Aaaand Potara is born and makes her debut!_

 _God Tier Fighter + God Tier Fighter + Green Power = astronomical power boost. And she hasn't even gone Super Saiyan yet._

 _Oh, and by the way, Goku's question as to the nature of the Green power? That's getting answered this arc. It's gonna be craaaazy! :D_


	54. Potara (Part 2)

**_Potara - Chapter 54: Potara (Part 2)_**

* * *

Goku watched nervously as Potara turned her head to look up at Whis, smirk still plastered across her face. "Shall the angel come down and play?"

Whis did not reply, he merely floated high in the sky, a contemplative look on his face. "..."

"You should have left it well enough alone, Angel," spat Potara, "Pan would never had struck out against the gods unless they wronged her. You had nothing to fear from this power, now though, you do."

She paused briefly to turn away from Whis to glare at the Z-Fighters. "None of you had anything to fear from Pan, yet so readily did you judge her. Pity that she didn't have more of a spine to force her way earlier, ought to have cracked a few of your heads while she was at it."

She focused on Goku. "It's a shame, _Grandpa_ , that it took you betraying her, in more ways than one, to force her hand."

Goku met her gaze steadily and replied honestly, "I made a mistake."

Potara raised an eyebrow. "Did you now? Shame that you never got the chance to tell Pan that, nor ever will."

Goku frowned at her. She really seemed to believe that the fusion was permanent. He made a mental note not to say otherwise, he didn't know how the fusion would react to it. A Potara Fusion only lasted forever when there was a Kaioshin involved after all.

Potara's ever present smirk widened. "Oh, how she resented you for it, did you know she actually felt hate for you at one point?"

Goku felt his stomach twist at that. "I... guess I deserved it."

Potara scowled at him. "Oh yes you did, you deserve so much more, as does ' _father_ '."

She spit at that last word. "I have half a mind to beat the both of you into the dirt for what you did at that tournament. I _hate_ Pan, but what you two did was unforgivable. While your daughter was in the bathroom having a breakdown and trying to slit her wrist you two were obviously contemplating ways to scold and punish her for her fight against Coli, when the only reason she went that far was because someone mentally assaulted her mind."

Goku stared at her in disbelief, a mortified expression crossing his face. "Attacked her mind?!"

"Pan did what?!" exclaimed Gohan.

Potara's face grew cold, she gave them both a look that sent shivers down Goku's spine. "Now you care, only when its to late."

Gohan glared at her. "I always cared for my daughter! She should have said something!"

"She had no faith in you," said Potara, her voice growing soft for a moment, "She had no trust in you, in either of you."

"What about me?!" exclaimed Videl tearfully, "Gods... she should have come to ME! I... I had no idea she was hurting so much..."

Potara raised an eyebrow and spoke smoothly. "Had no idea? While she was foolish enough to try and take on all her burdens herself, it is more than true that none of you had any idea about that girl. None of your understood how alone and abandoned you made her feel. I have half a mind to disintegrate you all. Instead, I prefer the painful truth as your punishment..."

She turned to eye Whis, "...rather than the death the gods will be getting."

Goku forced himself to focus passed the pain rocketing through his heart and focused. "You... you said Pain's mind had been attack, what do you mean?"

Potara shrugged. "Someone was inserting thoughts into her head and giving her headaches. Looking back through those memories as an outside perspective it's easy to pinpoint each and every attack, especially the one that broke her and made her snap before the Coli fight. Figures that afterwords, out of everyone that should have been there to help the child, it was that sociopathic bitch Odianna that was there to ' _help_ ' Pan through it."

She shook her head slowly. "And you left that woman to die, _Grandpa_ , oh you have no idea what that did to her."

Goku said nothing, there was nothing he could say to that. There was a heavy silence in the air.

Potara slowly brought her arms and shoulder's up in an elaborate shrug. "Nothing more to say eh? Hmph, I wonder, if Pan was here now, what would she say at the sight of you pathetic lot?"

The Elder Kai glared at her. "When your times up, abomination, she will be here!"

Potara raised an eyebrow. "You know, I hadn't decided if I was going to kill you or Shin yet, your not exactly making your case. The only abominations here are you gods, but i'll bite, what do you mean by 'when my times up'?

The Elder Kai stuck his tongue out. "The Fusion is only permanent if it involves a Kaioshin! None-Kaioshin Potara Fusions only last an hour, so there! Hmph!"

There had been a very brief flicker of fear on Potara's face before she relaxed. "Hmm... is that so?"

"It is!" spat the Elder Kai.

"You know, you have quite the attitude with me," said Potara with amusement, "When it should be me being pissed at the gods. Instead, you lot are kind of funny. I guess that's what happens when I have a power that makes you all seem ' _weak_ ' and not worth my time."

Goku frowned at Potara. While he appreciated, but regretted knowing about, what she had told them of Pan, Potara herself was confrontational, blunt, and arrogant in ways Pan never was, it was actually starting to bug him. She went on about Pan's sufferings only as a way to scold the group and the gods, she didn't care for Pan herself. He was having a hard time seeing much of Pan in the fusion, heck, the fusion had called Odianna a bitch, and Pan had been her friend, called her a sister. It just didn't make sense to him.

Potara stretched briefly. "Well, since I have all the time in the world to deal with you gods. I might as well take my time and enjoy myself."

"An hour is hardly a long time!" scolded the Elder Kai.

Potara gave him a sly smile. "Oh, I don't have an hour. I have an entire lifetime. The Doll was useful for something after all, it was a Kaioshin infused God Construct, I'm going nowhere."

There was a dead, stunned, and horrifying silence that filled the air for a minute as everyone stared at the smug Potara.

"Pans... Pans... gone...," was all Goku could whisper.

Gohan's fists were shaking, his face pale. Vegeta's eyes had narrowed, but showed no other sign, Piccolo, Tien, 18, and 17 mirrored this. Bulma, Uub, and Bra looked stricken, and had their heads bowed. Krillin had his arms crossed and was giving Potara a sad, pitying look. Yamcha seemed disgruntled. Buu looked confused, he probably didn't understand what was going on. The only one who didn't seemed fazed, or was at least hiding it, was Aideen, who was studying Potara curiously.

"G-give her back...," whispered Videl.

Videl rushed at Potara, grabbed her shoulders, and started shaking her nonestop and screaming. "GIVE HER BACK! GO AWAY AND GIVE MY PAN BACK!"

Gohan rushed forward and grabbed her, pulling her back. "Videl! Stop! Are you crazy!?"

Potara looked at the two of them, grimly, her fists clenched and shaking with rage. "You..."

She ground her teeth. "You don't even know me and you want me dead for your ' _precious_ ' Pan."

Gohan glared at her. "She's our daughter! And excuse me if you sure as hell aren't making a good first impression!"

Potara had him by his throat a second later, casting Videl backwards and into Goku's arms. "Good impression? None of you deserve a good impression! So far as I'm concerned you all ought to be beat within an inch of your lives for doing such a piss poor job these last few years!"

She held a hand up to his chest, glowing with green energy, and for a moment Goku actually thought she was going to kill him. Her eyes shined with frustration, anger, and resentment. However, something underneath them in the depths of her eyes made Goku change his mind about her intentions, and about how different she was from Pan. There was pain there, in her eyes. That was something of Pan he could clearly see. Potara shared Pan's pain.

How much of this was an act? How much of this was an attempt to sate that pain? Unlike Pan who would bury it and try to just appear normal unless forced to confront it, Potara appeared more than willing to lash out and give them all a piece of her mind. And now, gods, they had screwed up again, just like with Pan, they had just hurt Potara.

Potara banished the energy from her hand and cast Gohan to the ground. "Forget it, your not worth my time, _old man_."

She looked up at Whis with disdain before shaking her head and turning towards the portal building, speaking bitterly. "None of you are worth my time. I can tell I'm unwanted. I'm leaving."

No! They had just lost Pan... Goku was not going to let them lose what was left of her. "Potara, wait!"

Potara ignored him and started moving, only to pause when Whis levitated to the ground to block her path.

Potara glared bloody murder at him. "I'm giving you damn gods one last chance to stay the hell out of my way. Otherwise I'm going to kill every single one of you."

"Relinquish the green energy and you may leave," said Whis plainly.

Potara eyed him, a deadly look entering her eyes.

"Whis, back off! Leave my granddaughter alone!" ordered Goku.

Everyone gave him a look of surprise. Potara herself looked a bit stunned

"Dad? What are you doing?" snarled Gohan bitterly, "My daughter's gone!"

Gods... was he so blinded by his anger and sadness that he didn't see what was right infront of him? If he drove Potara away, they'd have nothing of Pan left...

Goku glared at him and pointed towards Potara. "Your daughter is standing right there if you'd get your head out of your butt and look at her!"

Goku's attention was drawn away by Whis. "I'm sorry Son Goku. Her power has been deemed to dangerous for a mortal to posses and must be removed."

Potara paid Whis no mind, her gaze still on Goku, a questioning look in her eye. They stared at each other for a moment before Potara closed her eyes and shook her head.

"I know that look," said Potara softly, "If your trying to find Pan in me, your only going to find misery in the end. I'm not her, I am not your granddaughter."

She turned around and rushed at Whis before Goku could reply. Whis crossed his arms and blocked her hit, but was still sent flying into the air. Whis righted himself, a translucent aura begining to shine around him. Goku's eyes went wide in shock, it was the first time he had ever seen Whis power up. Holy crap...

Whis wasn't the only one powering up though, Pan's green aura was increasing in size and intensity to match. She flew up at him and began exchanging a flurry of rapid blows, both of them testing the waters with one another. Goku could hardly belive what he was seeing, he figured she might be able to make some headway, but she was _going even_ with Whis!

Whis take a jab to his face and flew back before stopping, rubbing a reddened spot on his cheek. "Impressive. I may have to fight you seriously. Are you truly willing to risk this world in doing so?"

Potara's smirk was back on her face again. "Risk? Please, you aren't even a challenge."

"She's got a lot of guts talking crap to an angel," murmured Yamcha.

"Guts? It's not about guts or bravado," warned Vegeta with a dangerous tone, "Potara is confident, as she should be. Whis is not a challenge for her, not at all, not when she still has another transformation up her sleeve."

Goku's eyes went wide. Oh gods! He had forgotten! Pan had went Super Saiyan on top of the green energy fighting against Black and Zamasu! Suddenly, he felt a bit cowed, was Whis right? Was this much power safe in the hands of a mortal?

Potara rushed at Whis, throwing a heavy punch, Whis raised a hand and caught a blow. A ripple eminated from the connection, but nothing else happened.

Whis raised an eyebrow. "You canceled the impact out."

Potara's smirk seemed to grow an inch. "Pan paid attention when she listened to Grandpa talk about his fight with Beerus as a Saiyan God. Negating the energy seems like an important part of not ripping the universe apart."

Whis nodded curtly. "Very well. If you truly wish to fight, then we will."

Potara swung a kick at him, only for Whis to dance out of the way. Potara swung at his head, only for Whis to easily duck out of the way. Potara grew annoyed, bursting forward at him and punching and kicking as fast as she could. Whis dodged every single hit.

"You may have great power Potara, but you lack the skill to go with it. At an angels level of power, every fighter must know how to act without thinking. Pan was only just beginning to try and wrap her head around the concept, let alone attempt it, as such, you are nowhere near ready to implement it," said Whis before twirling around Potara's latest attack and bonking her on the head with his staff.

Potara staggered at the blow before turning to glare at him. "That so? Well, I wanted to toy with you a bit, but since you want to ruin my fun, I guess I'll just have to become so overwhelmingly powerful and fast that your damn no-thinking crap doesn't mean shit! AHHHHHHHHH!"

The world trembled as Potara's hair flew up and spiked and her aura of power exploded in size and intensity. Whis crossed his arms and gave a cry as the energy forced him back. A moment later, a now 'Super Saiyan Green' Potara floated high in the sky. Goku could barely keep himself standing, and everyone else who wasn't Super Saiyan Blue had fallen to the ground. The pressure Potara was exerting was extreme.

"D-dad! W-we need a barrier!" cried out Gohan.

The three Saiyan gods held out their hands and formed a barrier of ki, alleviating the pressure and giving them some breathing room. Goku turned his head back to the fight in time to see Pan rush at Whis, her fist glowing with what he knew would be a lethal amount of energy...

 _LATCH_

Goku's eyes went wide with surprise, and horror, as the Grand Priest appeared out of thin air and grabbed Potara's fist an inch from Whis's face, stopping the killing blow. He gave Potara a look of disapproval and flung her back with a dismissive flick of his wrist. Potara flew back a bit before righting herself, a surprised and wary look on her face.

The Grand Priest turned to Whis. "I believe this has gone on long enough. Attend to your God of Destruction."

Whis seemed apprehensive, but nodded. "As you wish."

"Uhh... guys... on a scale of one to screwed, how screwed are we all that the Grand Priest just got involved? Is there even going to be a planet left at the end of this?!" asked Krillen.

Goku said nothing. He had to admit, he kind of shared Krillen's fear. The Grand Priest was one of the top five most powerful beings in their Dimension. If he got involved, it was serious. But... it also made him wonder something. Had Beerus and Whis been ordered to steal Pan's power by him? Or, more likely, by the Omni-Kings? Why?

Potara glared at the Grand Priest. "Ooooh look whose shown up. If it isn't the Omni-King butler service."

Goku lost a bit of the color in his face. Did she seriously just insult him to his face? He just threw her as a Super Saiyan Green with ease. Was she insane?!

The Grand Priest raised an eyebrow. "You say that as a crude jest, but you do realize such a position would be considered a privileged?"

Potara rolled her eyes. "You gods and angels sure are something else."

The Grand Priest tilted his head. "I will ask once, and only once, will you willingly relinquish your power?"

Potara smirked. "Nah, I think I'll just take it to the next level."

Goku blanked for a moment. Did she just say...

"AHHHHHHHHHH!" roared Potara.

Her hair spiked straight up on end, and green lightning cackled up and down her aura. Green energy began bleeding out of the air surrounding Potara, flowing into her body. Goku couldn't help but notice that once more, the sky seemed to darken in the area. The world around them shuddered and cracked at the force of the aura, the Capsule Corp building doing the same.

"Nooooo! Dammit, its going to cost a fortune to fix my house!" whined Bulma.

Goku stared at Potara at disbelief. "She... it... what...?"

Vegeta nodded. "It's not its own transformation. It's not like god ki."

"What do you mean?" asked Krillen.

"When we go Super Saiyan Blue, its its own special transformation. Its a Super Saiyan God Super Saiyan, there's nothing above it. There isn't Super Saiyan Blue 2 or Super Saiyan Blue 3," explained Vegeta.

He paused briefly, thinking it over, before continuing, "This 'green' power appears to be a secondary power boost that amplifies whatever power she is currently using. Its not its own kind of ki. She was base, she was Super Saiyan, now she just went Super Saiyan 2. If she knew how to go Super Saiyan 3 she could probably do that as well."

"To much... that's way to much power," said Gohan with extreme unease.

Potara gave a war-cry and flew at the Grand Priest, green lightning trailing behind her as she flew at insane speeds. The Grand Priest merely stared at her, a plan look on his face. He did not try to dodge as Potara lashed out. She slammed a fist into his face... and merely sent him staggering slightly through the air.

Potara's eyes went wide with shock. "No way!"

The Grand Priest tilted his face back towards Potara, a slight bruise on his cheek. He raised a hand and returned the favor, slapping her across her face. Potara was not as fortunate as the Grand Priest. The blow sent her rocketing to the ground. She hit it and dug in deep, sending cracks along the earth in all directions for miles. Potara laid there for a moment before groaning and rising shakily to her feet, blood running out of her nose and mouth, but still maintaining her transformation.

Even Super Saiyan 2 with the green power wasn't a match for the Grand Priest, and he obviously knew it. "If that's out of the way, may we please end this without further violence? This entire ordeal has been unnecessary."

Potara spit a bit of blood and raised her arm to wipe off her face. "Unnecessary? The only unnecessary thing is you back stabbing treacherous gods!"

The Grand Priest frowned at her. "Still your tongue child. You are bested and you know it."

Potara clenched her fists and ground her teeth. "I swear I'll find a way! Even if I have to destroy my own body and use the Kaio-Ken with this so help me I will! I have bigger fish to fry than you!"

Goku frowned intently, studying her face. She was serious... she'd rather die than give up that power. She had Pan's power hungriness at its worse multiplied by a lot. It would get her killed unless something was done. As much as he wanted her to just give it up and walk away safe, he understood her pride, and shared a bit of her anger at the gods at the moment, but, what could she honestly do?

He could see a red tint start to show around her. No! Dammit, what else was there though? Her regular power wouldn't be enough, and god ki was useless compared to... wait...

Goku's eyes went wide with shock at an implication that just hit him. This green energy, Vegeta had suggested it was a secondary source of energy, one that could be used alongside her normal ki. But, did that also mean it could be used alongside her god ki as well?

Goku didn't know who was truly in the right here, he didn't know which side, if any, way right or wrong, but if he had to choose a side, he'd go with his family. "Potara! Go Blue!"

Potara stared at him in bewilderment for a moment before understanding lit in her eyes and a devious grin crossed her face. She turned to face the Grand Priest, dropping out of Super Saiyan 2 as she did.

She clenched her fists. "Alright then, lets see what happens when we mix green energy and god ki!"

Energy rippled out from Potara before the transformation even began, momentarily warping and distorting everything around her. Goku shivered, feeling like his body had been turned inside out then corrected in the span of a single second. His mind was on the frits, even inside and hidden behind a barrier. Everyone was shivering at the sensation.

Potara's green aura changed, turning teal-ish, a cyan glow engulfing her body as her hair stood on end. Energy rippled around her. Small tears were forming in the sky and seeping green energy that continuously flowed into her body. Her skin itself seemed aglow and radiating power. The irises of her eyes shined so bright it was almost like they were cyan orbs.

Potara examined herself briefly before laying her eyes on the Grand Priest, her voice showed not a hint of its earlier arrogance, but pure raw determination. "Are you ready?"

The Grand Priest frowned at her, a peculiar look in his eye. "You ask me that, but I see in your eye, you are the one waiting for something."

Potara crossed her arms. "Hmph, maybe I am. It's not like me to pass up a fight, but, like I said before, I have bigger fish to fry than you, and I've waited long enough for this, ever since I heard the Doll's memory in my head. Where are they?"

"Where are whom?" asked the Grand Priest, almost sounding as if he were trying to avoid the question.

She narrowed her eyes. "The Omni-Kings, and if they makes me wait any longer, they're going to be down a butler. Do they not have the gall to face me themselves? Don't tell me your trying to hide their responsibility, is that it? _**I know**_. I already know it was them who ordered Pan's power stolen. So how about it Omni-Kings? Do you have no shame? I'm calling you out! Or are you gonna hide all day?"

 _POP_

Without another word, a single Omni-King, the one Goku instinctively recognized as the one from their own timeline, appeared in the space between the Grand Priest and Potara, its usual passive look on its face replaced with a tired, guilty, and a bit upset one...

* * *

 _Author's Notes:_

 _Kicking it up into overdriiiveeeeee and oveerrrkillllll._

 _Wouldn't be DBZ without absolutely absurd power scaling. ^_^_

 _(Resolution to the arc coming next chapter, and then the fallout of this whole mess begins)_


	55. Potara (Part 3)

_**Potara - Chapter 55: Potara (Part 3)**_

* * *

Goku's eyes went wide, shifting back and forth between the sulking Omni-King and the enraged Potara, gods she looked like she wanted to throttle him.

"Where's the other one?" demanded Potara.

"He's out touring other dimensions," murmured the Omni-King.

Potara ground her teeth. "Then I guess I'll have to settle for you and deal with him another time."

Potara glared at the Omni-King and said one word. "Scum."

The Omni-King flinched.

The Grand Priest narrowed his eyes. "Mind your words child!"

The Omni-King held up a hand. "Be silent and let her finish."

Potara's lips curled into a sneer. "Let me finish? Oh look whose being the responsible one all the sudden. Got caught with your hand in the cookie jar and now your ready to own up to it? I can't believe you."

Potara clenched her fists, ripples of energy emanating out of her. "Pan trusted you. Pan was your friend. Pan would never have used that power against you. Yet, you dare stab her in the back? You quietly tried to have her power stolen from her! If the Doll hadn't become sentient somehow, you would have quietly gone on with your life none the wiser and would never have told Pan. Am I right?"

The Omni-King said nothing.

"Answer the damn question," yelled Potara.

"Yes," said the Omni-King reluctantly.

"Despicable," spat Potara, "Pan was your friend and you plotted against her, purely despicable."

Goku crossed his arms and noted something that he thought important. "For someone who apparently hates Pan, she seems pretty mad on her behalf."

Gohan frowned at his words for a moment before nodding slowly. "I... guess your right... this fusion doesn't make much sense in what she says and does."

Potara seethed. "One chance. You have one chance to answer me. Why? Why did you do it? Does someone having a power that can challenge you and your angels truely inspire such fear?"

The Omni-King frowned. "I do not fear you Potara."

Potara narrowed her eyes. "Is that so? Maybe we'll have to do something about that."

Goku grew very still, they all did. Potara was directly threatening the Omni-King. Goku was having a very hard time not freaking out. He had seen the Omni-King wipe out an entire universe in the blink of an eye. The Omni-King had just straight up told Potara he wasn't frightened of her power. If she pushed her luck, it would be over. Bardock's warning once again ringed in his mind. If Potara challenged him, she'd die...

"I ask again, why?" demanded Potara.

"That power is to dangerous for a mortal to handle, its to dangerous for even most gods and angels to use," explained the Omni-King.

Potara didn't seemed swayed. "Why? Whats so dangerous about it? What IS it?"

The Omni-King sighed. "Creation."

Goku raised an eyebrow. Creation? What was he going on about?

"Its the power of creation, a power that connects and weaves the universe, the dimension, and all of existence together," said the Omni-King.

"What your doing with it though, using it as a cudgel for raw power," said the Omni-King, an annoyed tone in his voice, "Is sacrilege. It's not meant to be used that way. It's not even meant to be used outside of the dawn of creation, when a universe is created."

Potara shrugged. "Works fine for me as is."

The Omni-King looked agitated. "Potara, this isn't a laughing matter. It's serious."

Potara rolled her eyes. "Could have fooled me."

The Omni-King frowned. "You don't believe me?"

"I don't trust you, so why should I believe you?" countered Potara.

The Omni-King motioned to the area around them. "Look about us, at the darkened sky. When you called to the power, you tore holes in creation to draw out the power for your own use. The small tears still going on, your continually draining creation for power, you will cause a collapse if you continue. All it takes is one rip to undo all of my work, I'd have to start all over again."

Goku grew still. Was he serious? No, he KNEW he was serious. He had seen Pan rip a hole through a timeplane and destroy it with a blast of ki. The Omni-King was being dead serious. Potara with the power she had now was vastly above what Pan had been, she could destroy their universe... destroy creation itself...

Potara looked around slowly. "That so? You know when the Dragonballs are used, the sky darkens too, come up with a better lie."

The Omni-King narrowed his eyes. "I am being serious."

"If you were being serious, then you should have told Pan," retorted Potara hatefully, "You should have pulled her aside, sat her down, and told her the truth. Maybe she would have listened, who knows."

The Omni-King looked a bit guilty. "I didn't want her to be mad at me or think I was just trying to take her power away."

Potara glared full force at him. "Yeah, well, thats what happened anyway. And on top of that YOU got Pan killed. She's gone, she''s not coming back, and the reason can be laid at YOUR feet."

The Omni-King gave her a perplexed look. "Pan's not really dead, her mind, body, and soul were fused to make you."

Potara ground her teeth. "I am NOT Pan! She's dead, and its your fault! Above all else, you could have taught her how to properly use this 'power of creation' regardless and there wouldn't be any danger to begin with!""

"It's not meant to be used outside of my own use or maybe my Grand Priest!" said the Omni-King.

"Oh big whoop, someone else got their hand in your cookie jar, cry me a river," spat Potara.

The Omni-King was starting to look mad, overshadowing his guilty look. Goku hesitated, wondering if now was the time to intervene. This couldn't be allowed to go on for much longer.

"Potara...," began the Omni-King.

"I've had enough of you and your lies!" shouted Potara, her power spiking.

Faster than Goku could even register, Potara shimmered, faded, and reappeared, slamming her fist into the Omni-Kings face. A ripple of energy pulsated from them, temporarily distorting reality. The Omni-King wasn't fazed though, and didn't even budge an inch. Goku though, was utterly terrified. She had struck him, she had HIT the Omni-King... he... had he waited to long to interfere?!

The Omni-King held out a hand and released a ripple of energy that shoved her back, but did nothing else. "Perhaps I deserved that for my actions. I should have trusted in Pan and explained it to her, I admit my fault."

Potara glared at him. "Not nearly good enough!

Her eyes flashed and she screamed. "Kaio-Ken times FIFTY!"

A red pulse of energy ripple out from her as a red aura mixed and engulfed her power. She cupped her hands to her side, getting ready to form a Kamehameha. Goku stared at the sight with disbelief. God ki, the Energy of Creation, and the Kaio-Ken on top of that, he couldn't fathom the power that was at play here. But, it didn't matter, even being fifty times as strong as she had been when she hit the Omni-King wouldn't matter. The Omni-King was the Omni-King, he wasn't a thing of physical strength or strength of ki, he was the god of their dimension. He could wipe out a universe with a flick of his wrist. He could not be challenged.

The Omni-King narrowed his eyes. "Potara, you are my friend..."

"I'm NOT your friend!" she spat out.

"...and as such, I don't want to do this. If you fire that energy wave, not only will you fail to hurt me, you will destroy creation, and kill all your friends and family. Even if you are my friend, I will erase you if you try it," warned the Omni-King.

Time slowed for Goku as he saw Potara's eyes tighten, and her body tense. She didn't believe him. She wasn't going to back down, she was going to try and kill the Omni-King. It was do or die, now or never. If he didn't act, he'd lose Potara, he'd lose what was left of Pan.

"Potara! Have faith in them!" called out Goku desperately.

Potara paused, and looked down at him. "Excuse me? Faith in them? After all of this?!"

She stopped cupping her hands and turned towards him, rage on her face. "You know, for a bit, I thought you might be on my side. I can see I was wrong."

Goku started to panic. He had done what Bardock had said. He got her to stop her attack on the Omni-King, but why wasn't she fully backing down yet?! She could easily just try attacking again! Bardock hadn't given him any further advice, the rest was on him.

Potara began to shake with anger. "Stupid, idiot, betraying Grandfather! Time and time again!"

"I'm not trying to betray you! I'm trying to save your life!" he shouted back at her.

Potara snarled at him. "You spoke of faith, your the one who needs to have faith. You don't believe that I can do this anymore than you ever believed in Pan!"

He struggled through the guilt and accusations she was throwing at him and focused. Dammit, what was he supposed to say? She was so mad and stubborn at the moment, he needed something, ANYTHING to stop this from happening! He needed some kind of cold hard fact that she could not possibly deny... wait... that was it!

"Bardock!" blurted out Goku.

Potara blinked a few times. "Bardock? The future seeing guy? The hell does he have to do with..."

Potara froze for a moment, a blank look on her face. "..."

Goku saw it, the break in her eyes. Instantly he saw her anger, determination, and stubbornness fade, replaced by pure, raw, fear. He swore he could almost see Pan's memory of Bardock's visions flash through her eyes. He saw the fight go out of her like a light, she understood what Bardock had told him.

Her arms went limp, her lips trembled, and tears formed in her eyes. "God... fucking... dammit..."

She threw back her head and screamed in frustration. "RAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGGGGGHHHH!

The entire world shook at her cry, green cracks of energy ripped through the sky, seeping green energy like it was blood from an open wound. The Omni-King tensed, blue energy on his fingertips, ready to erase Potara at a moments notice.

Potara gave a frustrated sob, powered down, and levitated to the ground and fell to her knees, head bowed. "Just... fucking get it over with..."

Goku let out a break he hadn't been aware he had been holding. It was over...

The Omni-King aimed a hand at Potara and made a pulling motion. Green energy flowed out of her and seeped into the sky. The darkness brightened, the tears faded away, and the cracks/rips healed away. The Omni-King stopped a few moments later when no more green energy came out of Potara. The Omni-King gave a sigh of relief, a tired look crossing his face. He waved his hand, and the damage to the earth around them was restored, and even Capsule Corporation was restored to pristine condition.

The Omni-King floated to the ground and stood infront of Potara. "I'm sorry..."

"Get out of my sight," said Potara bitterly, "I don't ever want to see you again."

There was a flash of pain on the Omni-Kings face before he nodded. "As you wish, it is within your right to request it. I ruined our friendship, and I will take the blame."

The Omni-King walked over to the Grand Priest, nodded to him, and the two of them teleported away.

"Son Goku," came a voice.

Goku turned his head, sighting and frowning at the God of Destruction. "Beerus..."

Beerus grumbled. "Bad business, this whole thing."

Goku crossed his arms. "I know you were ordered to do it, but, I think you should leave as well."

They stared at eachother for a time before Beerus reluctantly nodded. "I suppose it would be for the best. I don't know if we will meet again in your lifetime, but, I wish you the best."

Goku nodded curtly, but said nothing else. He refused to even look at Whis. A moment later, Beerus and Whis flew off into space. The Kai's gave a curt, but uneasy nod to them before teleporting away as well. It had been made clear, for better or for worse, the gods were no longer welcome on Earth.

The Z-Fighters stood there awkwardly, still kind of stunned over everything that had happened. One by one, they turned their heads to look at Potara, who still knelt on the ground, looking completely and utterly miserable. No one appeared to know what to do or say.

But, before anyone could act, Potara gave a frustrated cry, and took to the air.

"Potara! Wait!" called out Goku.

She turned Blue and flew off at an insane speed, ignoring his words.

Goku sighed. "Damn... she's not going to make this easy."

"Easy? What the heck can we even do?" asked Bra bitterly, "Pan's gone. That psyco isn't her."

Goku frowned at her. "Psyco? You mean like Pan was at times?"

Bra wilted a little under that. "I..."

Videl glared at him. "Don't you dare accuse or blame Pan of anything! We need to figure out a way to get her back!"

Goku gave her a despairing look. "Videl..."

She thought furiously for a moment. "The... the dragonballs! Didn't Shin and Kabito use to be fused? They used a wish to unfuse!"

Goku crossed his arms. "That wont work, not unless she lets it."

"What do you mean?!" demanded Videl.

"The dragon cannot grant wishes above its power, nor uses wishes against someone stronger than its creator unless they let them," explained Goku.

He turned to Gohan. "Remember when you guys tried to wish me back to Earth after the battle wish Freeza but I refused Porunga?"

Gohan nodded and spoke quietly. "I do."

"I don't Potara would willingly give up her life," said Goku, "And anyway, trying to take someone's life to bring someone else back crosses a line."

Videl glared full force at him. "You mean like how Pan's life was taken to create that ' _thing_ '?! She would have killed us all to try and fight the Omni-Kings!"

"And Pan wouldn't have?" countered Goku.

Videl shook at his words, let a sob, and fell to her knees. "Pan... I want my Pan back..."

Gohan walked over and knelt down, wrapping her in a hug.

Goku really didn't know what to say at this point. He looked around, everyone seemed crushed at the moment. Only Vegeta, Piccolo, and Tien masked themselves enough not to show anything. Gods... what the hell were they honestly supposed to do at this point? Even he knew that Potara was NOT Pan, but...

"Videl, I know your hurting, but, if you push Potara away, you'll lose all that's left of Pan," said Goku quietly.

That only made her cry harder.

He sighed. "I'm really not good at this..."

Piccolo spoke up, "You don't need to be. You at least understand what needs to be done. Feelings aside, Potara needs to be dealt with and calmed down. She's incredibly dangerous at the moment, more than Pan was. She's a fused Super Saiyan God who could cause untold destruction and..."

Goku turned on him, eyes narrowing. "No."

Piccolo blinked a few times. "No?"

"No more treating family like a threat, like a danger," Goku said angrily, "We pushed Pan away like that, we forced her into a corner even though we thought we were helping her. We try that with Potara, we will lose her, she'll leave this dimension and never come back. Not to mention, she wouldn't take it like Pan did. Try to box her in, she'd probably knock you out at bare minimum. We've..."

He bowed his head. "We've lost Pan... I'm not losing Potara too. Even if you guys don't see her as your friend, as your family, she's all that's left of Pan. I'd rather have her there then nothing at all."

There was a heavy, uncomfortable silence in the air.

"I've advise you not take that approach with her," came a voice.

Goku turned his head, laying eyes on Aideen. "Huh?"

Aideen slowly shook her head. "I don't really get this whole fusion thing, but, as much as I see a lot of Pan in Potara, treat her like Pan's leftovers and she'll leave just as readily. Treat her fully as her own person. She has a strong identity issue or something, she was pretty venomously identifying her and Pan as different people. She also said she'd readily kill that Doll thing."

She cleared her throat. "And saying that, I'd highly advise not holding the forced fusion against her."

"Why the hell not?!" exclaimed Videl.

"Because woman," interrupted Vegeta scornfully, "Of all the people here who could have some blame in what happened here today, that fusion is literally the only one of us that is innocent of this entire matter. She was born after all of this came to a head, she had nothing to do with Pan's actions, or what was done to Pan."

Another heavy silence followed before Bra spoke up, "She would have killed us all..."

Vegeta nodded. "Perhaps, but, she acted as the situation dictated. Do not forget, she did not want to fight the gods, except, they kept on her about taking her power despite that she gave them chances to back down, she was even willing to leave the dimension and not even be the gods problem anymore. She acted with far more restraint than any Saiyan would, I find no fault in her actions."

"This whole thing is messed up," said Trunks miserably.

Goten nodded sullenly. "Yeah... it just shouldn't have happened to begin with."

"Life's tough kid," said 18 grudgingly, "I wouldn't have wished what happened on Pan, but, what's done is done."

"Jezz sis, lay it on harder why don't you," muttered 17.

"Sensai," said Uub, stepping forward.

Goku turned to him. "Yeah?"

"Right or wrong, and blame aside, your the only one here I think she would somewhat trust. You should go after her, now, and try to speak to her. Leaving people alone with their problems and misery isn't a good idea. We'll talk it over ourselves down here, but you need to go, now," said Uub.

Goku gave him a smile; it wasn't often that he had the chance to, but when given the opportunity, Uub could be really wise beyond his years. "Yeah, good idea, thanks Uub."

Goku floated into the air, gave the emotionally drained group one last look, and took off into the air after Potara...

* * *

 _Author's Notes:_

 _Whew... it was a long time coming, but I finally hit this point. This arc was what I created the story for. I had this 'end' for Pan designed before I even wrote chapter 2 (though, not fleshed out as a full on chapter)._

 _Now though, I'm at a bit of a... crossroads. I don't actually have anything really planned out past this point. There's the obvious 'talks' and gushy mushy crap that's going to happen (;p), but after that, I got nothing. Going to need to go to the drawing board again and see where I go from here._

 _I might let the story be for a bit and focus on other things for awhile after the next few adjustment chapters (unless I get a spark of inspiration). It would let me stew on some ideas, and give people time to catch up (I write often ^_^) and offer feedback on whats been done so far._

 _Perhaps consider this arc, this very point, the end of 'Book One' if you will._


	56. Aimless

_**Potara - Chapter 56: Aimless**_

* * *

Potara flew aimlessly through the sky still in her Blue state, resisting the urge to scream her head off and fire ki blasts everywhere. Fury didn't even begin to describe what she felt right now. She had come so close, only to be denied by a memory of a warning of the future. Her purpose for being created had just been thrown away. She could have tried anyway, but the fear had overtaken her. Fear of dying, of being erased, of not even having an afterlife. She had cowardly backed down, and it humiliated her. After ALL of that, she just backed down like a scared little girl.

She ground her teeth, she couldn't even lash out at the environment at full power without destroying the world. DAMMIT, she just wanted to hit something right now. She stopped flying, gave a cry of rage, and threw her fist forward...

 _ZIP_

"Hey Potara I...," started Goku after teleporting infront of her.

He paused, and she paused, her fist centimeters from his face.

Potara glared at him and pulled back. "Your lucky I have more control than Pan did otherwise I would have taken your head off. And did you learn nothing from Pan? Just randomly teleporting infront of people is libel to get you hit, hard."

Goku bashfully scratched his head. "Woops. I'm not that good at learning my lessons."

Potara stared at him. "No shit."

Goku winced at that. "Um... Potara... I just want to talk..."

"And I just want to hit something," she spat back.

Goku smirked and went blue. "Trade?"

She stared at him, eyes narrowing. "Your not capable of taking what I can dish out."

"Try me," was Goku's response, crossing his arms infront of him.

Fuck it. She had warned him. Potara flew at him and slammed a fist into his arms as hard as she could. Goku gave a pained yelp and was sent flying at the impact, a shockwave emanating from where she had hit. She smirked at that, even if Pan and the Doll were nothing compared to to Son Goku on their own, their powers fused and combined into her were something else entirely. And yet...

She seethed. "Yet... its nothing compared to what I had, what I just lost. I could spend the rest of my life, and thousands of yeas of the afterlife, training, and never get back even close to what I had."

Goku flew back, studying her. "Does it matter to you that much?"

She glared at him full force. "YES! You can't even imagine what it felt like to have that power, pure bliss doesn't even describe it, and now that its gone..."

She hung her head, powering down. "I just... feel so _empty_ without it. It feels like I'm missing something important... the sensation is awful."

She shook her head, turned and started flying off. "Forget it."

"Hey Potara, I thought we were trading? Can't we talk now?" asked Goku, powering down and starting to fly after her.

Potara rolled her eyes. "Oh yes, now you want to talk, just like you always 'talked' with Pan? What, want to yell at me for risking the Earth? Call me a villain? Call me irresponsible for..."

"No," interrupted Goku.

Potara stopped flying and turned to stare at him. "..."

"I'm not here to blame you or scold you or anything like that, I just... I just want to talk," said Goku, his voice desperate.

Potara stared at him warily. The hell was he acting like this for? She played over his actions during the fight against the gods. He had been angry at the gods, refusing to help them. He had given her the idea to mix God Ki and the Energy of Creation. And as much as she hated him for it, he had probably saved her life for reminding her of Bardock's vision.

Speaking of which...

Potara had him by his throat a second later. "You want to talk? I want an answer first. Do you understand?"

Goku made no move to remove her hand and merely nodded.

"Bardock's warning...," she began.

* * *

 _Bardock turned to Goku. "Kakarot, you remember that person, don't you? The one who stopped you from making a certain wish at the end of the Universal Survival Tournament?"_

 _Goku stiffened, a shocked look crossing his face. "How do you know about... that person?"_

 _Bardock merely smiled and poked his head. "I can see the past too because of the ring."_

 _Goku nodded slowly, his eyes briefly turning towards Pan before going back to Bardock. "What about... that person?"_

 _"When the time comes, and you meet that person again...," began Bardock._

 _Goku's eyes went wide. "Wait, what? That person's alive?!"_

 _Bardock hesitated. "Not yet... well... in a manner of speaking, ish... grrr, its hard to explain without endangering that future."_

 _Bardock took in a breath and slowly let it out. "When the time comes, and you meet that person again, you need to stop that person from trying to commit the same mistake you were going to make with that wish of yours. If that person tries it, that person will die and everything will spin out of control. When the moment arrives, and you'll know it when it does, tell that person to have faith in 'them'."_

 _Goku slowly nodded, a deeply troubled look on his face, his eyes flickered to Pan again before going back to Bardock. "Okay. I'm not sure I really understand how that person can be alive but not be alive, nor why that person would make the same mistake that person stopped me from making, but, I'll try when the time comes."_

* * *

"What the hell was he talking about?" Potara demanded, "You've met me before? How? I was just born!"

Goku hesitated. "Well..."

"No lies, no games, you have one chance or I'm done with you," she warned.

"I can show you then," he offered.

"Do so," she said, her voice thin.

Goku reached a hand forward and placed it on her forehead...

* * *

 _Goku ground his teeth. He wanted to explain that this was all wrong, but, he felt as if his words would fall on deaf ears. He couldn't let this happen again, couldn't let this madness go on. He should have realized something like this could have happened after Omni-King had obliterated future Trunk's timeline along with Zamasu. He just thought it would never have gone this far._

 _He glanced at the last ball, any wish within their power. A thought came to him that he never would have acknowledged before. But, this tournament had made him do a lot of things he had never wanted to do before. The only power that could stop the Omni-Kings was their own power. The wish was granted instantly, without pause. He could wish for the Omni-Kings to disappear, to cease to exist, and they wouldn't be able to stop it…_

 _"Don't do it!" a girl's voice screamed in his mind._

 _Goku glanced up, startled. Behind the throne of the Omni-Kings stood a translucent form of a young girl, dressed in strange clothes that looked like an orange mix of the clothing of a Kai and a turtle hermit gi, complete with green Potara earrings. She was bloodied and battered, her clothes ripped, blood oozing from heavy wounds across her body. Her hair, he was startled to see her hair was standing upright, shining with the blue of a saiyan god. He couldn't believe it, she couldn't be more than twelve years old, yet she had gone blue. Her face, for some reason, held a level of familiarity to it._

 _The girl fell to her knees, her power fading, her hair and eyes turning to a normal black color, letting Goku see a swirling black portal behind her. Pieces of her body were starting to disintegrate and flow back into the portal. The girl gave a bloody smile, and again, her words filled his ears._

 _"D-don't do it, p-please, have… have hope in them…" the girl begged, life leaving her body and eyes._

 _"Wait!" Goku cried out, holding out a hand._

 _The Omni-Kings looked behind their throne before glancing forward again. "Wait for what Son-Kun?"_

 _Could the Omni-Kings not see her? He watched as she collapsed, a single patora earing falling off her ear. She reached out, struggling to try to grasp the earing. A single, tired, word filled his ears before the earing, her body, and the portal disintegrated._

 _"Potara…"_

 _Goku stood there, mortified, his hand falling back to his side. A sense of dread filled him, for some reason, the fact that the portal had disintegrated instead of closed scared him and left a sense of finality that he was unfamiliar with. He made a guess since he had never met her, and that she knew what his wish was, that despite not having a time machine she was from the future. Yet, he couldn't shake the fact that she looked familiar, shared qualities with someone he knew… wait…_

 _He glanced back towards his universes bleachers, at Videl and then the infant in her arms. He took one look at the child before recognition took over and horror crept into his body. The girl, the girl was his granddaughter. He turned to look past the Omni-King's throne, seeing his granddaughter disintegrate into nothingness over and over again in his mind._

 _He closed his eyes, fighting back tears. He recognized that whatever had happened in her timeline was his fault. He… he had killed his granddaughter, no, if he had to guess, he had probably led to the deaths of who knows how many people in that timeline by destroying the Omni-Kings, maybe everyone. The Omni-Kings were the gods of everything, who knows what would happen without them._

* * *

Potara frowned intently as the shared memory finished. That memory raised far more questions than it answered, but, first things first.

"That wasn't me," said Potara.

"Huh?" asked Goku.

"Her eyes and earrings weren't red," said Potara flatly, "Not to mention her clothes aren't exactly the same. She might be a fusion, she might share my name, but she sure as hell isn't me."

Potara did not let go of Goku's throat, instead, she tightened her grip, making him wince. "So that's what, twelve years? Twelve years you kept that a secret? Or was it just hidden from Pan?"

"Told... Vegeta...no one else," Goku stammered out.

Potara shook her head and threw him back. "Pitiful, you people and your damn secrets, always holding Pan back, keeping things from her."

Goku rubbed his throat and frowned. "I don't get you Potara. Do you actually hate Pan? You say you do, but, your always so quick to her defense."

Potara ground her teeth. "Idiot. I wouldn't expect you to understand."

"Then explain it to me," he said forcefully.

"Why do you care?" she said bitterly.

"Because I want to understand you," he answered honestly, "You're really confusing to be honest. I'm not sure if you mean half the things you say or do."

Potara couldn't help but growl at him. "I mean EVERYTHING I say. I hate Pan, I hate her with a passion... she... what she did was unforgivable!"

Goku gave her a confused look. "Huh?"

"She left me here to deal with this mess!" Potara yelled at him, "She took the cowards way out!"

Goku narrowed his eyes. "Pan was many things, but she was NO coward. I don't think being forced to fuse was taking a cowards way out, in fact, she didn't even have..."

"A choice?" said Potara bitterly, "Your an idiot. She had every choice. She COULD have fought the fusion off!"

Goku stared at her in disbelief. "What...?"

She met his eyes grimly. "You really don't get it, do you? Or did you forget? Pan was given a piece of advice by Bardock as well..."

* * *

 _Bardock slowly shook his head and turned towards Pan. Rather than speak, he stared at her for a few minutes, appearing to mull something over._

 _He closed his eyes. "Pan, there are so many things I could say, things I could try to change, but... I think rather than give you a warning or a suggestion, I'll ask you a question."_

 _Pan felt curious, and a little wary at his words. "What is it?"_

 _"Would you sacrifice everything, even who you are as a person, if it meant standing up for what you believe in and, in your mind, protecting your friends and family?" asked Bardock._

 _Pan didn't hesitate. "Yes."_

 _Gohan stiffened, looking back and forth between Pan and Bardock before demanding. "Why ask that question Bardock?"_

 _Bardock shook his head, refusing to answer._

 _Pan crossed her arms, she had a hunch what he meant. "It probably means I'm going to die again at some point. Great, as if the first time wasn't enough."_

 _Bardock gave her a sad smile. "Just remember what your answer when the time comes to make that sacrifice. What happens isn't exactly what you think it will be."_

 _Pan refused to grow alarmed or show any signs of nervousness. "If your going to just tease it around me, don't bother. I'll just have to grab the dragonballs when we get back to get ready."_

 _Bardock hesitated for a moment. "Pan... not everything can be solved with the dragonballs."_

* * *

Potara watched silently as a mixture of emotions passed across Goku's face. She could tell he finally got it. Even then, he didn't understand the full implications yet, no one did. Only she did... she was alone in it...

"She could have fought off the fusion, but, at the end of the struggle, when it was fuse or back out, she reluctantly submitted to it. Why you ask? Because she didn't think she'd be strong enough on her own. She understood that if she fused with the Doll, they'd regain access to the green energy. She took the cowards way out, she gave herself up, who she was as a person. " said Potara.

She grew bitter. "But she didn't fucking THINK, and I HATE her for it! She gave up her own life and dumped me straight into the middle of this god forsaken mess! She wanted to impose her own damn promise of ' _making the dimensions a better place_ ' without any kind of consideration for what I'd want to do with MY life! Let's not stop there, she basically killed herself without any consideration for her friends and family. Her family is NOT my family! Her friends are NOT my friends! They don't want me! I can't fill that hole she just left!"

"Potara...," Goku tried to interrupt.

"SHUT UP!" she roared at him, silencing him.

Potara's voice grew quiet. "I hate her, but... she... she still gave me life... I wouldn't exist if she hadn't killed herself. Having lived, having breathed, having had my own thoughts, I wouldn't give it up for anything in the world. I'd... I'd fulfill her promise if I could, but... I lost it, I lost the power. She gave me an impossible task to do, she gave me a purpose I could never fulfill."

"I hate her... I love her..., fuck, I don't know what to think of her," choked Potara, unsure of how to feel or what to do at this point, dammit she wished she had just kept her mouth shut...

* * *

Goku stared at the fused girl, unsure of what to say or do. Potara floated there, looking utterly miserable. Utterly lost. Jezz... he loved Pan, dearly, but... what had she been thinking?! He knew Pan could be brash and emotional, but, taking on the gods and then accepting a fusion that was forced on her simply because she wasn't strong enough to finish what she started? Why hadn't she come to them before it got that far instead of training in secret and attacking them on contact? She should have come to _HIM_! He could have tried to do something for her! He didn't know what, but he would have tried!

What she did was irresponsible. Creating life, whether it was having a kid, or, well, fusing to make new life, was a huge responsibility not to be done on a whim. Potara's own words fit perfectly, Pan had made her and 'd _umped her straight into the middle of a god forsaken mess_ '. He was starting to wonder who was really going to have a harder time adapting to all of this. All of them, or Potara herself?

Because, as much as he didn't want to admit it, as much as it hurt to admit it, despite having her face, Potara was not Pan. He was noticing quite a few differences between them already, and he was sure to spot more. First and foremost, the raw readiness Potara had to confront people and her problems head on dwarfed Pan by a landslide. Her cockiness and arrogance had been astounding, and she had no problem trying to boss him around and throw around authority, not to mention she also had quite the mouth on her. She was also more than willing to cross family, the hand mark on his throat was evident of that, she had quite the grip. Though, a painful thought did cross his mind: did she consider him, consider them family? That question aside, Potara had absolutely no tolerance for secrecy or lies, and was very bluntly truthful herself. She * _might_ * also have anger issues, he wasn't sure, that situation might just have seriously pissed her off. Hell, he had BARELY acknowledged how angry he was at the gods himself yet, Potara was a more pressing concern than his own feelings at the moment.

Taking one more moment to acknowledge what he had observed of her, he knew he needed to be careful here. He didn't think she'd actually seriously hurt him or the others intentionally, but, he knew better to push it. He was more concerned with screwing up and driving her away. She would not put up with any of the kind of crap Pan did. But, what was the best way to approach this?

He paused his thoughts when he noted Potara suddenly masking her misery and turning to fly away again, crap, he needed something! "Umm... Potara..."

She sighed. "What now?"

"Wana get icecream?" he offered.

She stared at him, her eyes narrowed. "Seriously? Your offering ICECREAM right now?"

He winced, okay, maybe that route wouldn't work, "Just trying to..."

"I KNOW what your trying to do, I'm not blind," she spat, "Save your effort, right now, I just don't want to deal with this crap. We already 'talked', but you keep wanting more of me, but, do you think I want to talk? Do you think I want to deal with any of you people right now?"

She gave him an icy smile. "I'm more inclined with removing limbs at the moment."

Goku really wasn't certain if she was being serious or using grim humor, Vegeta did that sometimes. "Fair enough..."

He gave a start when she was suddenly up in his face. "I'm going to say this once and only once Son Goku, so listen up. I want to be left alone for awhile. Do not follow me, do not talk to me, do not watch or spy on me. All I want is time to myself, are we clear?"

Goku nodded. "Fine, but..."

She rolled her eyes. "But what?"

"You can call me Grandpa you know," he offered with a small smile

Potara stared at him silently before shaking her head. "I don't know if I really want to yet or not."

She turned and started to fly away before pausing. "Grandpa."

He smiled at that. "Yeah?"

"She forgave you at the end," said Potara quietly.

Goku blinked a few times. "Forgave me?"

"Even if its what led to the forced fusion, when you helped Pan, when you stood up to Beerus for her on behalf of the Doll, she forgave you for abandoning Odianna, for that moment, you became her beloved Grandpa again. I just thought you might want to know that," she offered faintly.

He had seen it in Pan's eyes, but, to have had it confirmed was a heavy relief in his mind. "Thank you."

She sighed. "You know, maybe I could trust you, but the others? I don't think I'll honestly get much privacy here, I got a better idea, I'll see you later."

He gave a start when she shimmered and disappeared. She could teleport?! He focused his energy and found her near Capsule Corp and the others and instant transmissioned to follow. He came back, sighting the Z-Fighters watching Potara silently, mistrust and uncertainty in most of their eyes. Potara didn't spare them a glance. She turned and made for the portal building and walked inside without a word. He kept his senses on her until she disappeared through the portal to other dimensions. She... really had left...

He crossed his arms in thought. No, she hadn't fully left, she had given him relieving parting words about Pan, and even trusting him and saying they'd meet again. She was just upset, and had demanded time; that was honestly all they could offer right now. He didn't think anyone, save maybe for Aideen, was in the right mindset to honestly deal with this right now. They all needed time. He gave a heavy sigh and started walking back to the others...

* * *

 _Author's Notes:_

 _First attempt at post-'incident' Potara. I tried to lay down the baseline for how she thinks/feels and where things may go from here with her and will continue to do so in the coming chapters._

 _For now... it's off to other dimensions again! All aboard the dimension train! Were going to be following Potara rather than sticking around on Earth._


	57. A Purpose in Question?

_**Potara - Chapter 57: A Purpose in Question?  
**_

* * *

Potara walked through the portal and left Earth, a sigh of relief passing by her lips as she did so. Out of that place. It was too painful to be there right now. She didn't even know if she really wanted to ever go back. One one hand, she felt drawn to her famil-

She closed her eyes painfully. She felt drawn to _**PAN'S**_ family. There were years of memories she had inherited from Pan that took an active very conscious effort to disregard. Her encounter with Grand-.

She ground her teeth. Her encounter with Son Goku was extraordinarily painful to her. She had forced herself to act almost on pure, raw, angry instinct. Now that she was alone to think, to try and calm down and sort herself out, it chilled her to realize how violent she'd been with the man. She had grabbed him by his throat for Kami's sake...

She rubbed her eyes and moved to set down on the edge of a row of portals, letting her legs swing to and fro. Son Goku had been honest in his efforts, he had wanted to help her, she did realize that. Though, he wasn't very good at it in her opinion. Taking a moment sifting through Pan's memories, it was very painfully obvious just how bad Son Goku, and by extent the others, were at handling situations outside of fighting. An emotionally super charged Pan had been a wrecking ball to them in Potara's honest opinion. The best thing Goku ever really did for the girl was to listen to her memories, but, he had never done anything afterwords.

She faintly smiled at that. Odianna, as much of a psychotic bitch as she was, had been right in one regard...

* * *

 _Odianna swore. "That fucking idiot."_

 _Pan winced and grew confused. "Grandpa didn't do anything... why are you yelling at him."_

 _"Because of exactly that! Big whoop, he listened to your memories, where the hell was the TALK?! He listened, said he didn't hate or blame you, bought you an icecream and CALLED IT A DAY AT THAT?!" said Odianna, livid beyond belief._

 _Pan hesitated, looking uncertain. "But... it meant so much to me, Grandpa usually doesn't do that sort of thing... he's kind of all fight-fight, not talk-talk."_

 _Odianna snorted. "No shit. Expecting any kind of in-depth emotional support from a Saiyan, I can't believe I got my hopes up. Forget the respect I was starting to build for him. He lost it. You don't leave things like this half done._

* * *

Still, A for effort she supposed. At least he tried. He had done more than...

Potara grimaced and shook her head. Forget it. She had not left the dimension only to think about it. She'd do that when she wasn't going on an emotional roller-coaster ride. She needed a distraction...

Potara sighed and leapt down off the edge of the portal row she was on to the main floor and headed for a hallway. She was half way down it when, to her surprise, she saw a gathering of people in the next portal room. She was mildly stunned to see it before she remembered the Dimensional Tournament. The Omni-Kings, by inviting warriors and spectators, had made it some-what common knowledge that other dimensions existed.

That gave Potara pause, and a worrying one at that. She didn't recall Pan or any of the other Z-Fighters thinking the other dimensions would be a problem so soon. In fact, she vaguely recalled Pan overhearing talk during her three year training period that they Z-Fighter's weren't really expecting any kind of situation for at least a decade or two as knowledge of other dimension's spread. That knowledge was now most likely becoming more wide-spread by the moment. Dimensional travel was most likely going to be picking up soon if it hadn't already. It would only be a matter of time before some kind of conflict occurred and escalated.

Potara narrowed her eyes. She had wanted a distraction, she had one. She needed to investigate and keep an eye on what was happening in these portal rooms. She wasn't sure if she wanted to return to her home dimension, but under no circumstance would she want anyone in it hurt or killed. Aside from the gods of-course.

Potara started down the hallway again and got a better look at the group of people. She raised an eyebrow, noting that it was FAR more than just a group. It almost looked like a... farmer's market? There were stands of different shapes and sizes of aliens offering what looked like cloths, food, toys, books, and even weapons and armor...

"Ah, I see we have another interested viewer," came a cardinal voice.

Potara gave a start and turned to see an Arcosian leaning against the wall next to the hallway's exit, studying her. He seemed vaugly familiar... hadn't he been at the Dimensional Tournament? He was bulky, brown and gray. He was also in his final form and seemed relativly comfortable in it. Strange, she had remembered that the competitors from that dimension had all been in their restricted forms. Perhaps he had trained since the end of the tournament to control it.

The Arcosian studied her briefly. "Hmm, ah, your the child from Dimension 1. Pan wasn't it? Rather impressive and viscous fighter if I must say."

Potara frowned intently. "My name is Potara."

The Arcosian tilted his head. "Hmm. My memory is rather impeccable, I was sure it was Pan. My mistake."

Potara shook her head slightly. "Pan and I... were related, I guess. I can forgive the slight."

The Arcosian raised an eyebrow. "Twins mayhaps?"

Potara merely stared at him.

The Arcosian smirked. "I did not intend to 'slight' you, but I understand the competitive nature of siblings. I'm not that fond of my brother Granite either."

Potara gave Pan's memories another go before she finally hit it. "Your the one who fought Aideen. Tremor wasn't it?"

Tremor nodded. "Correct. So then Potara, interested in browsing the Extra-Dimensional Market?"

She blinked a few times. "Extra-Dimensional Market?"

Tremor's lips curled into a smug smile. "Set up by the my very own Earth Clan. My father was quick to jump at the limitless business potential other dimensions offered and started a trade market within days of the tournament. The partnerships we've made have turned a staggering profit already."

Greed. If there's one thing she did understand about their race from her limited knowledge of what Vegeta had told Pan of the Planet Trade Organization, was that Freeza was one hell of a greedy bastard. That obviously spreed to their race as a whole, maybe, that might be a bit racist to so blindly judge them, but she wouldn't put it past being right on the money. At least they seemed more greedy than bloodthirsty.

"Anything in particular you might be interested in purchasing?" inquired Tremor.

Potara frowned. "I have no money... actually... how does that even work? I doubt any dimension uses the same money as another."

Tremor smirked. "We have a currency conversion system in place. It... favors us slightly, but puts all parties on an even footing. Before long we'll have all dimensions using our currency as a base, so it will be a much smoother process."

Potara resisted the urge to snort. Fucking greedy ass manipulative bastards. Getting all dimensions on _THEIR_ currency system? As much as she found it humoring, she also recognized it was smart. It was a strange thought to be honest, most of the time Pan and the other's were just muscle heads who fought their problems head on or came up with some strategy. Always battle related though. Dealing with other dimensions was going to take more finesse then simply 'punching the problem away'. The Arcosian's were looking to influence other dimensions through trade and currency. Perhaps this could be an opportunity to learn a few new skills.

"As for your 'money' troubles, I suggest the food section of the market. Free samples are often given out to encourage return purchasers," offered Tremor.

Potara nodded. "I'll go check it out."

Tremor nodded back. "If you have any further questions, seek me out. I am currently on rotation for another week until Granite comes back."

Potara cocked her head. "Rotation?"

Tremor grinned. "My clan set up the market, as such, were responsible for maintaining, organizing, and running it. I prefer a more hands off approach, letting the market run itself and offering my expertise and advice to potential buyers when needed."

Potara nodded and walked off, following her nose to the food section of the market. She stared at isles and isles of stands with assortments of fruits and meats on them. More was being brought from portals in the room or down the hallways. She raised an eyebrow at the sight. If Grandpa... if Son Goku was here, he'd devour everything in sight within minutes.

She frowned at the thought. Pan would have helped devouring the food to. Strangely though, Potara didn't feel that hungry, just a slight twang in the pit of her stomach. She ought to have been starving now that she thought about it. She had been fighting gods and angles and flying around since she had been born less than... what, two or so hours ago? That ought to have worked up an apatite. She was quarter Saiyan after all, while she didn't need to eat as much as Goku or Gohan, she...

Wait...

No, no she wasn't a quarter Saiyan. Pan had been, but the Doll was not. Actually... what the hell was the Doll to be honest? A Human-Saiyan Kaioshin God Construct. That... left a lot for Potara to consider, and she brought up a hand to rub her chin thoughtfully before deciding to indulge in food. She eyed the food part of the market, pausing on one stand in particular that people seemed to freely take out of. She hesitated briefly before walking over and doing the same. A piece of fruit she grabbed looked like a purple apple. She slowly bit into it and blanked for a moment.

Why the hell did an apple look-alike taste like a mix between a banana and a carrot? An its texture... an onion? She hesitated briefly before finishing it off. What a strange thing, the dimensions really were an odd place, full of new experiences.

She shook her head slowly and began to slowly walk through the food section, turning her thoughts inward, studying herself. Her thought's reverted back to the Doll, and the fact that she was a Potara Fusion. She actually had no real idea how her body was supposed to function. She started going through the Doll's side of her memories, not that they amounted to much experience. Her memories mostly consisted of spars with Pan, or being trapped in Whis's staff dimension for months on end to brood and think to herself...

Her eyes went wide. The Doll never ate or slept in Whis's staff dimensions. Pan had barely taken notice of how little the Doll had to rest in the Time Chamber, but Potara was. Humans and Saiyans both had to eat and sleep. She knew little of the eating or sleeping habits of a Kaioshin, but she knew they at least did. So then, perhaps it was the God Construct side of things that gave the Doll its immunity to natural fatigue.

So the question was, how much of that immunity did she inherit from the fusion? And was it a good thing or not? She obviously needed to eat, the fact that she had felt any hunger at all proved it. But, she probably didn't need to eat much at all, and that kind of made her anxious. She had memories of Pan eating good food, and Potara couldn't help but want to do the same. Gorging herself on tasty treats would be something she would have liked to be able to do, but a single 'apple' had near filled her up.

Damn...

What else was she going to lose out on from this fusion? She walked swiftly through the market and down another hall, wanting to get away from all the noise. Once she was far enough away, she leaned against a wall to began to think. She began to play Pan and the Doll's conversations over in her mind, of Pan and the Doll's observations, until...

* * *

 _Pan paused briefly. "Hey wait a second, if you've spent that much time in that umm... pocket dimension, why haven't you aged or anything?"_

 _The Doll visibly paused and glanced down at itself. "Huh... that's a good question... strange. Maybe its because I'm a God Construct, or that the Angel infused me as a Kaioshin? I dunno."_

 _Pan smirked. "I'm totally jealous. You get to stay a girl forever, I eventually have to get old and wriiiinklyyy."_

 _The Doll gave her a perplexed look. "Wrinkly? Old?"_

 _Pan paused briefly. "Oh, you... ummm... what does aging mean to you?"_

 _"Getting a more stronger and refined body, losing the weakness of a child's body," answered the Doll._

 _Pan winced. "You know, I'm starting to think that the Gods and Angels are actually really cruel about making God Constructs. You really don't know much of anything outside of fighting and whatever else you picked up in my battle memories."_

 _The Doll scowled. "You don't need to remind me about cruel Angels. Now answer the question, what does old and wrinkly mean?"_

 _Oh gods, how was Pan supposed to answer that question to someone who had no concept of what it meant to grow old? This was kind of awkward._

 _"Umm... I'm not sure how to properly explain it," began Pan, trying to stall for time._

 _The Doll grew annoyed. "Were supposed to be sneaking into a time chamber, just answer the question and be done with... ugh, just put some images in your mind and I'll figure it out."_

 _The Doll put a hand on Pan's forehead, and Pan obliged. She created an image of a baby, then a child, then a teenager, then a young woman, then a middle aged woman, then an aging woman, then an elderly woman._

 _The Doll visibly recoiled. "The last image was so frail, do we really grow so weak as we age?"_

 _Pan shrugged. "Ahuh."_

 _The Doll looked displeased. "Then I hope that being a God Construct fully stops me from aging then. Let's go."_

* * *

Potara pondered the memory and toyed with it in her mind, uncertainty crossing her face. She thought briefly and did some calculations. Based off the time spent in Whis's staff dimension, it should have been several years total for the Doll. Assuming eight hours a night for a month straight. So every three nights would be one year in the staff. A months usually around thirty days. So... ten years total-ish, the Doll's body should have been twenty-two-ish years old. It wasn't even a case of aging slow like Trunks and Goten apparently had, she literally hadn't aged at all. Even Pan had grown maybe a little bit...

Potara glanced down at her body with unease, and then a bit of fear. No, hell no. She did not want to be trapped in a twelve year old's body for the rest of her life! She wanted to grow up into a full blown woman! Not be a kid forever. Grow up, maybe find a nice guy, have some kids, be an awesome kickass mom while fighting bad guys...

Wait...

Potara's face paled as the full implications hit her. Pan had had the talk, she had an understanding of 'the birds and the bee's'. Pan hadn't hit puberty yet, hadn't even had her first period, and Potara wasn't even sure the Doll was capable of it. If... if Potara didn't age... then... she'd be stuck in an immature body... she'd never be able to start a family. She didn't want to anytime soon now that she thought about it, but... she wanted the option. It wasn't fair...

"Damn you, damn you Pan and the Doll, you monsters have no idea what you robbed me of," said Potara bitterly.

She slid down on the wall and sat down, feeling miserable. It wasn't fully confirmed, but, she had little confidence in her body maturing. If she began to age it would be a very pleasant surprise, but, she wasn't counting on it. Just... what the hell, what the fuck was the point in her being born? What had Pan and the Doll wanted? The only thing they had actually gained from the Potara Fusion was power, and even then, it hadn't been enough, she had got to knock a few gods and Angel's around, and then lost it. Pan... why? Dammit...

"You had no idea what you truly had in your life Pan," muttered Potara bitterly, "You might have lost some things, but you still had so much left. Your family, your friends, your entire life ahead of you. Fucking twelve years old and you throw it all away, make me, and leave me with _**NOTHING**_. What can I honestly expect If I go back to your home? They'll welcome me in with open arms? Bullshit, and I can't even make my own family to replace them! What was the point? All this power I have? The hell can I do with it but smash someone's face in? There's no point in it; you chase power, you lose everything else..."

"It's bullshit," whispered Potara, bringing up her knees to her chest and wrapping her arms around them, "Why do I exist? What is my purpose? Pan's promise? I... I don't want to do it anymore, that was her deal, not mine... it's not fair... I want my own life, my own purpose, my own family... its just not fair..."

She sat there, brooding in misery to herself as time passed her by...

* * *

 _Author's Notes:_

 _Bit of an internal self-struggle goin on with the Potara Fusion. Next chapter, we'll see what she decides to do with herself._


	58. An Old Friend

_**Potara - Chapter 58: An Old Friend  
**_

* * *

Potara slowly made her way back to the Extra-Dimensional Market. Her thoughts were still irritated, angry, and miserable, try as she might to banish them. There was really nothing that could be done about it, drowning in her own problems was something Pan would do, she had little desire to be stuck like that, weighed down by the past. She'd have to move on, besides, not that she needed it, but, an eternally young body did have a few advantages.

For one, she looked like a child, people would _always_ be underestimating her. No one without firsthand experience would have any clue just how strong she actually was. Even without superspeed a child could slip into places unobserved, overhear conversations without being critiqued. A child could get favors and care just because people thought they were innocent or defenseless. Not to mention, there was the whole never dying of old age bit, but, that was somewhat of an afterthought at the moment, that wouldn't be an important factor for decades.

Potara started walking the market, keeping her eyes and ears open, listening and searching for anything of interest. At the moment all she could recall that might be a problem would be the Saiyans from the Terra dimension. She hadn't sighted any Saiyans in the market though. Aside from that, she had absolutely no clue about potential dangers from other dimensions. None of the other dimensions from the tournament had really given Pan that much of an impression. There were a few curious or unique abilities, but nothing that presented a clear threat. Even the Majin hadn't shown or hinted that much interest in other dimensions. The Arcosians, unlike Freeza, showed no conqueror interests that she had seen, just greedy money grubbing. It left her at a loss of what to be looking for.

She walked quietly, pausing at every third stand to fake-inspect what was there, just trying to listen in on conversations. Nothing of interest. People were just buying, selling, and conversing about their home dimensions. She kept moving, browsing stall after stall for hour after hour until she happened upon one stall in particular. One with humans manning it.

Her first glance let her know they weren't from her home dimension. Their clothing was different, but, strangely enough, not unfamiliar. There were three people there. A young man, a young woman, and an older woman that almost looked like a body guard. It was the older woman who drew Pan's attention. She had a mix of black armor and white dress, her eyes were cold and unkind, her face calm and reserved. The woman tickled a memory...

* * *

 _"Is this the room?" came a loud shrill voice._

 _Pan winced at the sound and glanced at the door._

 _"Y-yes Lady Magistrate," came Abbot Sawa's voice._

 _The door opened, and in walked a lady clothed in a mix of black armor and a white dress. She had short hair like Bata's, her eyes were a hard, unfriendly blue, her face was calm, but not showing hints of being friendly either. She walked over, her chin up, looking down at Pan._

 _"So, this is her?" asked the Lady Magistrate._

 _"Y-yes Lady Magistrate," came Sawa's voice._

 _Pan glanced behind the Magistrate and saw both Saw and Bata standing at a firm, terrified, attention, not moving or budging a muscle. She didn't need to tap into her ki senses to detect how scared they were._

* * *

Potara's eyes went wide. The woman was a Magistrate. She was from Bata's world. The memory, that name, sent pain lacing through Potara's heart. Bata might have been Pan's friend and not hers, but, thinking of the dead girl still hurt. Potara hesitated for a moment, before she felt driven to approach. The Magistrate looked over her dismissively before returning to watching the coming and going of other, more threatening looking creatures.

The young woman at the stall smiled at Potara. "Hey there!"

Potara nodded curtly. "Hello."

The young woman looked behind her. "A bit young to be wandering around yourself, where's your parents?"

Potara resisted the urge to roll her eyes. The answer to that question was either: A) Back on Earth crying over their lost daughter and hating Potara, or B) Fused inside of her body. A mater of perspective she supposed.

"Around," was all Potara chose to say.

The young woman gave her a curious look. "Oh, well... anything you want?"

Potara made an uninterested look over the stand. "Not really, I... well... what's the name of your world?"

"Our world? Gaia," answered the young woman.

Gaia, Potara rolled the name over her tongue. It vaguely tickled some of Pan's lessons on other languages in her youth. Wasn't it another play on the word Earth? Or somewhat Earth related? She found it curious that of the three dimension's worlds she had been to that had humans, they all bore that kind of name. She gave a faint smile, finally having a name to put to Bata's world.

"I see," said Potara faintly.

Thinking of Bata also, in turn, made Potara think of Kojin, she frowned and turned to the Magistrate, unable to hold in her tongue, "So are the Magistrate's still kissing Kojin's ass even though he's dead?"

The Magistrate stiffened and turned her head to glare down at Potara. "I don't know who you are but you should mind your tongue child! Kojin was a deceiver, we serve a true god, er, goddess, now."

Potara resisted the urge to roll her eyes. Pan got one false god off their backs, and they threw themselves before another. "Really now? Who?"

"The Goddess Bata," said the Magistrate, her voice thin.

Potara went still, she went very still. The shock of the Magistrate's word's paralyzed her for a moment before she recovered and began to think rapidly.

Bata? As in... Pan's friend Bata? But... she had died, and the dragonballs had been made inert... there was no way it could be her...

Potara narrowed her eyes. "Bata, is she a roughly... fourteen year old girl with very short rigidly cut black hair, brown eyes, overly cheerful except when she gets mad and then she's super scary?"

The two people behind the stand snorted with undignified laughter, but, the Magistrate's eyes narrowed and her lips pursed. She was studying Potara seriously. There was a very brief nod, too quick for the other two to see, but no other confirmation.

Potara could hardly believe it, she... she had to confirm it for herself, "Where is the portal to your world?"

The Magistrate did not reply for a moment, now critically eying every inch of Potara. "What is your name child?"

Potara noticed there was expectation and very faint recognition in the Magistrates eyes, despite that they had never met she had a hunch and decided to go with it and somewhat lied, "I go by Potara now, but, you and Bata would know me as Son Pan."

The two vendors behind the stand went very still, looking at her in shock. "She's... the one who killed Kojin?!"

A thin, and very pleased smile briefly filed the Magistrate's face. "The Goddess was hopping we would eventually bump into you or someone who knows you, to think we would find you so quickly before we could even really start investigating other dimensions is a pleasant surprise. She's yearned for your presence for sometime now Son Pan."

Potara pursed her lips. "It's Potara now."

The Magistrate shrugged. "As you wish then, Son Potara, let us be on our way. The Goddess awaits."

Potara decided to let the family name claim drop, especially since she didn't exactly mind the way it sounded. She followed the Magistrate wordlessly, weaving down hallways. She felt giddy and gleeful, so very happy, it was so overwhelming that it triggered a sense of wariness in her mind. It occurred to her suddenly that Pan's memories and feelings towards Bata were driving her. She had to throttle the memories and emotions, trying to go passive and remind herself that Bata, if it really was her, was Pan's friend, not hers. Though, she could honestly admit that she really hoped they could be friends, she could use one...

On that regard, what could she say to the girl? How in the world could she explain what had happened to Pan and who she was? How would Bata react to that? Potara suddenly felt unsure she wanted to go through with following the Magistrate back to Gaia. She stopped walking briefly, before resuming, deciding above all, Bata was Pan's friend, and she at least deserved to know Pan's fate, even if she wanted nothing to do with Potara afterwords, painful as the thought was.

They continued walking down hallways and eventually up a flight of stairs and into a portal. The moment they passed through, Potara threw her senses wide open and probed in every direction. It did not take her long to find a faint presence, high in the air on the other side of the planet, that was familiar to Pan's memories. Potara couldn't help but crack a smile at that.

"Thanks for bringing me, see ya," said Potara to the Magistrate.

She focused on the presence and used Instantaneous Movement. She found herself on a lookout similar to Dende's. Before her stood a familiar teenage girl, clothed in the robes of a guardian with a red 'Kami' symbol on it. On her back she bore a purple cloak. In her left hand, a wooden staff. Her eyes a soft and kind brown. Her hair, to Potara's surprise, had grown out quiet a bit from the girl in Pan's memories. She was, without a doubt in her mind, Bata.

Bata stared at Potara for a moment, surprise on her face, before she squealed in delight, dropped her staff, and threw herself at Potara. "Pan!"

Bata wrapped her in a fierce hug. "Oh you don't know how much I've missed you!"

Potara's heart wrenched for a moment, feeling unsure of how to respond. She frowned for a moment and glanced up, sighting no halo above the girl's head.

"How are you alive?" Potara asked softly.

Bata gave her a scowl. "Questions later! Hugs first!"

Potara rolled her eyes and gave her a hug. "It's nice to meet you too Bata."

Bata scoffed. "Meet me? I haven't changed that much have I?"

Potara sighed and repeated her question. "How are you alive?"

Bata grumbled and separated from her. "Jezz, we meet again for the first time in years and your all super serious!"

Potara crossed her arms, but did not reply.

Bata rolled her eyes. "Fine fine. Considering how much of a mess Gaia was in, and for my part in helping with the whole Kojin mess, I was revived by the gods on condition of taking over guardianship over Gaia."

Potara narrowed her eyes. "On condition of? Excuse me? Fucking gods, it figures."

Bata gave her a perplexed look. "Pan?"

Potara ground her teeth. "You ought to have been given back your life, free of restraints, to live as you wanted to, not as their little pet guardian."

Bata shrugged. "I don't mind it at all. I get to help a lot of people this way. Today alone by whispering into people's minds, or altering weather and that stuff I've prevented ten suicides, twenty-eight murders, tons and tons of robberies and fights, and..."

Potara sighed and rubbed her eyes. "Of course you'd enjoy the position, figures."

Bata put a hand on her hip, frowning. "You know Pan, I'd thought you'd be a lot happier to see me alive."

Potara couldn't take it anymore. "I'm... not Pan..."

Bata blinked a few times. "Huh?"

Bata looked Pan over with confusion, top to bottom, pausing on her eyes. The girl frowned, uncertainty lacing her eyes and features. There was a faint glow in Bata's eyes, and Potara felt a shift in the girl's ki and detecting the girl probing her with senses. It felt almost like Dende's for a brief second, which really confused Potara and dredged up an interesting question. How exactly was Bata a guardian? Potara had only ever heard of Namekian's being guardians. Bata certainly had training, and her ki had changed. More meddling of the gods if Potara had to guess.

"Your... Pan, but your not Pan," said Bata with confusion.

"My name is Potara," answered Potara.

"Like the earrings...? Oh..." asked and answered Bata, her eyes going completely wide.

"But... you look just like Pan... who did she choose to fuse with?" asked Bata with disbelief.

"A deceiver," whispered Potara sullenly, "And there was little choice in the matter."

Bata frowned intently, a disturbed look on her face. "Come sit over here and tell me what happened."

They moved to sit down at the edge of the lookout, feet hanging off the side. "How I was born or..."

"From the moment Pan left this dimension, if you would," asked Bata, "No, actually, the last dimension she was in to before coming here. She had said something about a Terra?"

For the next few hours, Potara confided in Bata everything that had happened to Pan, hiding nothing from her. She had expected, from what she remembered, for Bata to interrupt, or show emotion at what she heard. But, Bata was oddly silent, her face masked. The girl listened intently, not interrupting save for clarifications, processing everything that Potara told her, but choosing not to pass judgement early. The only thing the girl gave away was a growing sadness in her eyes. It occurred to Potara that Bata seemed to have changed a bit from the cheerful, but scarily Chi-Chi when mad like girl she had been.

When she finished, Bata sat there, thinking for a time, before she merely shook her head, a tired look crossing her face. "Ah Pan..."

Bata rubbed her eyes tiredly. "What a mess."

Potara snorted. "Your telling me."

Bata turned to eye her and scolded, "Yeah actually, I am! Why in the world did you leave your home? You should have stayed and helped them work through that!"

Potara bristled. "Why the hell would I stay where I'm unwanted?"

"What makes you say your unwanted huh?" demanded Bata.

"Oh I don't know, maybe the fact that moth-, that Videl was shaking me and screaming at me to go away and bring Pan back?" said Potara bitterly.

Bata crossed her arms. "She was hurting, you know that. And the way you said you were acting sure wasn't helping the matter."

Potara turned away. "Hmph."

Bata stood up. "Potara, stop being a dope and go home."

Potara bristled. "A dope?! Excuse me? I'm not going back somewhere where everyone hates me and..."

Bata knelt down behind her and gave her a hug. "Potara, they don't hate you and you know it."

Potara bowed her head. "They do... they..."

"Stop it," ordered Bata, raising her voice.

Potara went silent, sitting there miserably.

"Give them a chance Potara," said Bata.

"Why should I?" asked Potara bitterly.

"Because otherwise your going to be alone," warned Bata, "And do you really want that?"

Potara did not reply.

Bata sighed. "You wont know what will happen unless you give it a try. The worse that can happen is that your right, and if so, you can come back here and live with me, cuz I sure wont kick you out. But, I really don't think it'll come to that. At minimum your Grandfather wont turn his back on you, him you can trust."

"Pan would have begged to differ at one point," murmured Potara.

"Well, your not Pan are you?" asked Bata sternly.

Potara gave a hint of a smile. "No, I'm not."

Bata hugged her again and moved to get her staff. "To me, your kind of like Pan's kid, and I'd want you to be as happy as I'd have wanted Pan to be. Please, for me, give them a chance."

Potara brooded quietly to herself, feeling Bata's eyes on her back, she really wanted to believe that things could work out, but, she felt doubtful. "Even if they did accept me in. Would they see me as me? Or just as an echo of Pan?"

Bata sighed. "Give them some lee way. It might be rough for awhile, and might have some hiccups along the way, but, they're all you really have. Well, aside from me, you can come visit and stay whenever you want."

Potara gave her a brief smile. "Thanks."

Bata had a certain happy twinkle in her eyes. "No problem."

Potara kicked her legs out sheepishly, determined to give at least some defiance. "I don't wana go back right now though. Maybe in a few days."

Bata shrugged. "Sure, your welcome to stay as long as you need."

Bata moved to stand next to her, staff thumping on the ground. She looked down over the lookout, her eyes searching. Potara had a brief flash of memory, remembering through Pan a number of times she had seen Dende in such a position, watching over the world below. She smiled faintly at the sight, Gaia was lucky to have Bata as its guardian, she'd do them right.

Potara faced foreward and looked down at the clouds, thinking quietly to herself, before a memory surfaced. "Hey Bata..."

Bata turned her head. "Yeah?"

Potara gave her a mischievous smile. "I seem to remember Gohan telling Pan you'd get the Turtle Hermit and Zeroes back on Pan's behalf."

Bata giggled a little, a redness entering her face. "Maaaaybe."

"Do tell," teased Potara.

"I * _might_ * have shaved the turtle hermit's mustache off with a bit of ki," said Bata sheepishly.

Potara let out a mix between a snort, a hiccup, and a laugh. "Seriously?! Does hair even grow back in the afterlife?"

Bata shrugged. "Hee hee, I dunno. I wasn't there for much longer. I got Zeroes with a permanent marker, I don't think I should tell you half the things I drew on him. Heee heeee."

Potara brought an arm up to cut off her own laughter, shaking her head, feeling a bit pleased with that, before she lowered it. "They had it coming."

"You want a bit of payback of your own eh?" asked Bata with a devious look on her face, "Could teleport us to the check-in station. They wouldn't know what hit em."

Potara rolled her eyes. "Mmm I dunno..."

Bata winked and put a hand on her arm. "C'mon."

Potara shook her head. "I don't..."

Before she could finish, they had teleported outside the check-in station. Potara had a _VERY_ uncomfortable sensation of deja-vu, sighting inside the station at a giant demon passing judgement on the dead. It had only been a few years since Pan had been there... she... really didn't want to be here, in the land of the dead, unless she absolutely had to be, _ESPECIALLY_ this afterlife that Pan had already been in. It was an uncomfortable reminder of one's own mortality, and how close she had probably been when trying to kill the Omni-King. If she had tried, she wouldn't have even ended up at a check-in station. She... would have just been gone, completely wiped away...

"Can we just go back?" asked Potara quietly.

Bata looked as if she wanted to protest for a moment before she glanced at Potara's face. "Oh, um, okay."

Bata teleported them back to the lookout and looked a bit bashful. "Sorry... just wanted to have a bit of fun."

Potara gave her a weak smile. "Your awful eager to cause trouble for a so called 'goddess'."

Bata smirked. "What can I say? Being an obedient little girl most of my life made me hunger for a bit of mischief."

Bata rolled her eyes. "And please, Goddess? Don't you start that too. I can't even get the Magistrates to stop calling me that, don't need it spreading."

Potara raised an eyebrow and pointed at the 'Kami' symbol on Bata's clothes.

Bata bristled. "Hey! I don't choose the job outfit!"

They shared a brief laugh before going quiet.

Potara eyed Bata briefly. "You go to the otherworld often? You went there instantly, I don't think that was Instantaneous Movement."

Bata shrugged. "Trick of the trade. Its actually really easy to do. You feel for the link between this world and the next and just follow it. Part of the perk of being made a guardian, the Kai's showed me how to do it since they can do it as well."

Potara pondered that for a moment. If a Kai could do that, then a Kaioshin God Construct could as well, not that she saw a real reason to. She knew Grandpa could Instant Transmission to Otherworld, but that was because of how often he went there and back, he knew the feel of the place like the back of his hand. If she could figure out how to go to Otherworlds without needing to have been there first then it was a useful little trick to pick up from one of Pan's old friends. She was about to dismiss and store the thought away for later before something stuck in her mind...

 _One of Pan's old friends..._

Potara's face twisted in a half grimace half smile. She had never even considered it before, but... there was one other 'old friend' of Pan's in the Terra dimension that Potara suddenly had the urge to go and track down. One that she'd need Bata's little trick to be able to find.

"Could you show me how to do it? Then I'll be out of your hair for awhile," asked Potara, forcing her voice to go plain.

Bata gave her a curious look and shrugged. "Sure, but I don't mind you being here. Your my friend, your free to stay and visit however long or whenever you want. Gets lonely up here sometimes."

Potara felt a pang of pity at that, then quite happy of being accepted as a friend, and offered a hand, "Well, teach me this, and I'll promise to visit every so often. Maybe once a month or so?"

Bata smiled intently and took the hand. "Deal."

* * *

 _Author's Notes:_

 _Couldn't quite find it in myself to keep little Bata dead as a silent sacrifice, I decided on a whim to bring her back. I do have somewhat of a heart after all :P._

 _Bata offers Potara some advice, some playful banter, herself as a friend, and an idea in Potara's mind of where she wants to go next. Should be pretty easy to figure out just who Potara is going to go visit in Terra's afterlife..._


	59. Last Echo

_**Potara - Chapter 59: Last Echo  
**_

* * *

Potara stared at her target, a portal with the word 'Terra' written underneath it. She frowned, fiddling with her earring absentmindedly. Did she really want to go back there? There were a lot of bad memories inherited from Pan lurking there. Not to mention, did she really want to see what had become of the world after the Saiyan's had murdered the last of the humans?

She sighed, rubbing her eyes. Ever since she had thought of it, going to the afterlife to visit Anuerin and confront Odianna, it had plagued her nonestop. She knew it would continue to nag her endlessly until she did so. Sometimes she really hated that she had gotten Pan's memories dumped on her. That girl had left so many things unresolved...

Potara slowly shook her head, took in a deep breath, let it out, and walked through the portal...

...and what she found on the other side came as a surprise. She had expected to see utter ruin and devastation. Instead, she found a staircase had been built up the hill leading to the portal. The ruined town she could remember seeing the first time she had come here was gone. In its place, she could see Saiyans building a complex of sort. The land around the hill and town had been compleatly wiped away and was now a flat desert-like space. Though, she could see some workers were building what looked to be an... aquaduct or some empty water system of sorts going to the complex building.

Potara opened up her senses and stiffened. There were hundreds of Saiyans on the world from what she could sense, and several spaceships in the atmosphere. She had expected Terra to be in ruin, instead, the Saiyans were colonizing it.

Potara ground her teeth and clenched her fists in anger. This was even worse than she had expected. They were removing all traces of what had once been here, building on the corpses and graves of humanity. It took everything she had to not go God and start annihilating everything and everyone in sight. She would not risk some kind of retaliation against her home dimension.

She sighed to herself, hating to have to bottle up her rage. She closed her eyes and used Bata's technique, teleporting herself to the check-in station of this world. She nodded in satisfaction before pondering which to do first...

Pain or pleasantry? Visit Odianna in hell and give her one heck of a screaming and or beating, or go talk with Anuerin? She tilted her head back and forth before shrugging and walking into the check-in station and up to the desk.

The demon on duty paused its sentencing of a white spirit blob and frowned at her. "Can I help you...?"

The demon paused, taking note of her clothes. "O-oh! A Kaioshin? I... oh um..."

She wasn't going to tell him otherwise and merely asked, "I'm looking for someone who would have died roughly half a year ago. Her name is Odianna."

She was a bit surprised to see recognition in the demon's eye. "Ah, the 'special' case."

Potara raised an eyebrow. "Special?"

The demon wiggled his nose with distaste. "That one, a good start to life, then it all went downhill. Directly responsible for thousands of deaths, mind you most were in self-defense of herself and her world. But, that one took to much pleasure in that slaughter. Her actions also left many repercussions throughout the universe, though, I'm unsure if the Saiyans learning how to once again go Super Saiyan from battling her ought to have been held against her or not. To be frank, I wasn't honestly sure what I was going to do with her, but the decision was taken out of my hands anyway. A few heroes and a Kai called in a favor to get her sent to the Grand Kai's world."

Potara pursed her lips. "I see."

Odianna got out of going to hell because someone called in a favor? Hmph. Such a fate was to good for her in Potara's opinion. She was _NOT_ biased like Pan had been towards the woman. She felt utter contempt for her and what she had done to Pan.

"I require transport to the Grand Kai's world then," said Potara.

The demon nodded and motioned to one of his file-helpers who led Potara to a cloud car. The traveled in silence until a world came into view in the distance.

"I'll fly from here," said Potara, leaving the car.

"Uh... hey!" exclaimed the driver, but Potara paid no heed.

A cloud car would draw attention. She wanted to observe first. She flew, keeping her presence and power as tiny as possible until she descended onto the planet. It was just like the last one she had been on.

She winced and went rigged, a sense of deja vu hitting her all the sudden...

* * *

 _Pan sighed and turned around after the car left. She glanced down a path leading to a giant white building with one big entrance and tons of windows everywhere. There were pools of water, and tons of spots of green grass everywhere, oddly trapped in squares. There were also a number of people there..._

* * *

Potara viciously shook her head, banishing the memory. She rubbed her forehead, sighing quietly to herself. She moved quietly and swiftly, hiding behind trees or statues or temporarily behind people. She kept her senses open, feeling a vaguely familiar presence. She reached the main white building and walked along the edges, keeping her body pressed against it as she snuck around. There, in the 'backyard' of the Grand Kai's building, was who she was looking for. But... the scene she came across was something that simply dumbstruck her.

A giggling little boy ran along the grass. "Can't catch me sis!"

Odianna was chasing the boy, intentionally moving slow, a smile on her face. "Oh you better believe I can!"

Potara _STARED_ at her, disbelief on her face. Odianna was playing with a child? She was... happy? Actually happy, and not faking it, not a hint of anger or rage or hate on her face. That boy... he had called Odianna 'sis'...

* * *

 _Odianna nodded. "The first Saiyan to invade Terra was sent as a baby. His name... was Rutabage, though, we came to call him the Despoiler. Everyplace he went was ruined, everyone's lives he touched were destroyed. Despite how weak he was compared to the Saiyan's we deal with nowadays, he was singlehandedly responsible for killing the vast majority of humanity. He wiped out over half of our population before he was stopped."_

 _"One... just... one single Saiyan?" asked Pan with disbelief._

 _Odianna nodded again. "I encountered him when I was six years old. Despite being the same age as me, he was utterly merciless. My village was one of the first to fall. He killed everyone, all the villagers, my mother, my father, my brother, and toyed with me for amusement."_

* * *

Potara grew confused, studying the child. He shared Odianna's brown eyes and black hair. There faces and builds, despite the age difference, were similar. She could see him being her little brother. Only... two problems.

One. Why was he here? This was a place warriors were taken.

Two. He had died over forty years ago. Why was he still a child? Or did you not age in otherworld?

"Aunt Dina, saaaave meee," squealed the child.

Potara followed the child's path with her eyes and laid her gaze upon three warriors standing watch over Odianna and the child's antics, smirks or smiles on their faces. Each of them were human, each of them wearing the Fox Hermit Gi.

Odianna's words to Pan made their way into her mind...

* * *

 _Odianna cleared her throat."Just before Rutabage was going to finish me off, the legendary fox hermit, Master Kokatsune appeared, and fought the boy off. He tended to my wounds and had planned to leave me at an orphanage. However, I begged him to train me, to allow me to take revenge for my family."_

* * *

 _Odianna frowned. "We continued to try to stop him, along the way over the years, we began to pick up other survivors. The first was an indian who went by the name of Kiaan, his entire family had been killed, and he had been knocked out cold, powerless to stop Rutabage. Kiaan swore revenge and joined us on the hunt. He was a gentle giant at first, but, Rutabage changed him."_

* * *

 _"The next was... was someone who would become a dear friend to me," said Odianna sadly, "Her name was Dina."_

 _Odianna smiled faintly. "She was a weird one alright. The only reason she lived through the attack on her village was because she scared the crap out of Rutabage."_

 _"How?" asked Pan._

 _Odianna smirked. "She had a... condition... whenever she sneezed, her hair and eyecolor would change and her personality would dramatically shift."_

 _Pan blinked a few times. "That... sounds like Launch."_

 _Odianna gave a start. "Sounds like Launch?"_

 _Pan nodded. "Launch is a lady I know who does the exact same thing when she sneezes. When her hair is blue, she's really nice, and a bit naive. When her hair is yellow, she has a wicked temper and always pulls out a gun to shoot people. She was a major bank robber back in her youth."_

 _"Pfff, bank robber," said Odianna with distaste, "Well, they sound similar except for the last part. Though, nice Dina was a brunette, and angry Dina was a redhead. Her switching between her personalities freaked Rutabage out enough to make him run away. Having no one else to go, she joined up with us. I looked up to her, kind of like a big sister. She saved my ass a lot back then."_

* * *

Potara's eyes flickered, matching each vague description to the person. So this was... they were... she tilted her head in thought, a faint smile on her face. They were Terra's 'Z Fighters', or whatever they called their group. The way they held themselves, the comfortableness around one another, the above average energy. For a brief moment, she found herself in Pan's memories, her eyes going wide at the first time she had ever seen Grandpa's friends all together.

Potara shook her head and focused as the brunette woman of the group sneezed, her hair changing red, before she charged out and swept the child off his feet. "Oh no you don't Odianna! This one's miiineeee! Buggar off!"

The woman, Dina, turned and bolted, a mischievous smirk on her face, with Odianna hollaring and chasing after her. Potara just stared silently at the spectacle.

She frowned suddenly, looking back to the other two before whispering to herself, "Where's Aneurin?"

"Behind you," came a soft voice.

Potara couldn't help but jump and spin. Standing behind her, arms crossed, was her fifty year old friend. He was tough looking, muscular, with a serious face. But, hidden in that rough look were soft, kind eyes. He still wore his Fox Hermit Gi.

Aneurin gave her a once over, eyes briefly flickering above her head searching for and not finding a halo, before his eyes fell back on her and his eyebrows raised. "Fancy meeting you here. Come here often?"

Potara remained silent, suddenly unsure of how to proceed. She instead turned around and continued to watch the bizarre spectacle, ignoring his greeting.

"She's... strange," murmured Potara, "She's not as I remember her."

Aneurin moved to stand next to her. "Maybe not as you remember her, but, as I used to, as the rest of us used to, back when it all began."

"It's weird," said Potara, "She's not tense, not on guard, not paying attention to her surroundings, doesn't have an ounce of power ready..."

"Pan...," said Aneurin before sighing.

He shook his head. "It's over Pan. We fought, we lost, we died. We're tired of fighting, we're done. It's... time for us to let go and move on, that's why we asked her brother to come down from heaven and be with her, to help her let go of her hate."

Potara absorbed what he said silently, her eyes passing over the honored dead again. She started feeling a bit guilty, she had wanted to come to the afterlife just to give Odianna a piece of her mind, now though? She didn't want to intrude, if that woman could find some semblance of peace after all of this, might as well let her. What would holding onto a grudge really do for either of them?

Aneurin put a hand on her shoulder. "You okay Pan? Odianna told me about what happened at the tournament."

Potara's eyes narrowed. Okay, scratch that, grudge reborn. Did Odianna just go about telling _EVERYONE_ about Pan's little 'incident'? She herself had told the Z-Fighters to press a point, for what reason or right did Odianna have to go telling this group? Pff...

She shook her head. "I should go."

"Yes, I suppose you should," came Aneurin's voice, a mischievous hint to it.

Potara gave a startled yelp as Aneurin picked her up and threw her forward past the edge of the building into it's backyard. She landed with a thump, furious and annoyed. She looked up, sighting that the other's ahead had paused to look at her. Odianna laid her eyes on Potara and they went wide with surprise.

Potara rose to her feet, dusted herself off, and shot Aneurin a dirty look. "Asshole."

Aneurin merely smiled at her with satisfaction.

Potara heard the pattering of feet and looked forward, sighting Odianna running towards her, a mortified look on her face. Odianna came to a pause a little ways away, her eyes looking up over Potara's head for a halo that wasn't there.

Relief played across Odianna's face. "Your not dead."

She lowered her eyes and met Potara's, she was about to speak before she froze. "..."

Odianna searched with her eyes for a moment before frowning intently. "Who are you?"

Aneurin gave a start behind them. "Uh... Odianna?"

Potara smirked with a bit of satisfaction. "At least someone figured it out without me correcting them."

The other's of Odianna's group arrived, standing behind her and giving Potara a curious look.

"I'll not ask again," said Odianna, her voice thin and hostile.

Ah, there was the Odianna Pan knew so well.

"My name is Potara," was Potara's reply.

"Like the earrings?" asked Dina before pausing and doing a double take, "Oh."

Potara resisted the urge to snort. That was the second time someone had had that reaction to her name. She found it mildly amusing.

Odianna turned her head to Dina. "Potara Earrings?"

Dina nodded slowly. "They're used by the Supreme Kai's in extreme situations. They're used to merge the mind, body, power, and soul of two beings together into one new entity."

Odianna gave Potara a peculiar look. "Pan... 'merged' with someone? Why?"

Potara narrowed her eyes and spoke hostile, "Because of the damn promise you had her make!"

A passive look crossed Odianna's face. "I see."

She turned to pass her eyes over the others. "I wish to speak to her, alone. This is not up for debate."

They group slowly dispersed, leaving Potara and Odianna standing by themselves. Potara eyed the woman with disdain. She had been willing to just leave, but, here they were. Might as well get it over with.

"Do you have any idea what you did to Pan?" she growled.

Odianna merely stared at her.

Potara clenched her fists. "Every fault in her life I can damn near lay at your feet. You taught her to kill, to disregard mercy, to chase power, all in the name of killing Saiyans. She looked up to you, and even loved you deep down, even after you tried to kill her, you..."

"I said my peace to Pan at the tournament, admitted my failings to her, even if it wasn't good enough I still apologized," interrupted Odianna, "What more do you want of me?"

Potara glared at her. "What more do I want? You learned _NOTHING_! In the time you 'helped' Pan you made her ten times worse! You just don't get it, do you? Let me remind you."

Potara blurred and closed the distance, floating infront of Odianna and grabbing her forehead, pouring a memory into her mind...

* * *

 _Odianna cupped Pan's chin in her hand and lifted her head up to make eye contact. "Pan, look at me. There is nothing wrong with obtaining the power you need to protect those you care for. Mercy is all well and good, but more often than not, you just need to put down your enemies."_

 _Their was a darkening inside Pan's eyes. "There's nothing wrong with obtaining power..."_

 _Odianna nodded. "They had NO right to say those kind of things to you."_

 _Pan's eyes tightened. "They had no right."_

 _"When your older, and in control of your power, it'll be you who makes the decisions Pan. You might have to put up with their bullshit until you attain control, but there will come a day when it is by YOUR hand that justice will be met out, and by your will that evil like the Saiyans we dealt with shall be struck down," explained Odianna._

 _Pan smiled eagerly. "Yeah... when I figure that power out. I'll be the hero..."_

 _"Even greater then your Grandfather," said Odianna._

 _"Even greater than Grandpa," whispered Pan, almost fanatically._

 _Odianna smiled at her. "And I trust that you will do whatever it takes to reach that point, and make the existence we live in a much better place. Promise?"_

 _Pan nodded feverishly. "Yes, yes! I promise, I'll make the dimensions a better place!"_

 _Odianna patted her head. "Good girl."_

* * *

 _Pan hugged her and started sobbing again. "I'm such an idiot! I was... I was going to kill myself because I thought they wouldn't want me anymore, that I'd be alone... that I was a failure... big sis... thank you, thank you for stopping me, for saving me."_

 _Odianna blushed a bit. "I'd do it again in a heart beat my little sister. But, to be frank, I saw nothing wrong with the beating you gave to that Coli bitch, I would have wanted you to do more, and I would never have abandoned you for it."_

 _Pan smiled warmly. "Hee hee... that's cause you do worse things than I do to Saiyans. N-n-not that they don't deserve it!"_

 _Odianna nodded and cupped Pan's chin. "Not that they don't deserve it indeed. Remember the promise Pan, real monsters like Coli have no place in the dimensions. When the time comes..."_

 _"I'll make the dimensions a better place," whispered Pan fanatically._

* * *

Potara threw her to the ground before descending. "Do you understand yet?"

Odianna rose to her feet silently. "..."

Potara pointed a finger at her. "You twisted and turned a vulnerable little girl into a weapon, **_AGAIN_**! What, was the first time back on Terra not enough for you? She..."

Potara faltered for a moment. "She had come so far... she was finally healing, finally returning to the way things used to be... then the tournament happened. Then the mind attacks happened. Then you happened. I see the life she had, I see the life she _COULD_ have had, and I... I envy it, I _crave_ it. She threw it all away on a promise... and do you know what it got her? What it got me?"

Potara turned Super Saiyan Blue, the force of the transformation sending Odianna to the ground again. "It got me power, but even then, it wasn't enough. The green power was stripped away from me."

She glowered at Odianna, starting to shake. "And now... without that power... I have nothing..."

"SO WHAT GOOD WAS THAT PROMISE?!" she screamed at her in rage.

Odianna looked away. "..."

Potara barley resisted a sob, her voice cracking a bit, "WELL?!"

When Odianna still said nothing, Potara turned away, powering down. "I don't know why I came here. Enjoy your fucking afterlife."

She started walking away, readying herself to teleport back to Terra, when Odianna called out. "Potara..."

Potara stopped walked and clenched her fists. "What?"

There was a soft footfall before Potara froze as Odianna's arms wrapped around her in a sad hug. "I'm sorry, to you, and to Pan. I wish I could have told that to her."

Potara did not respond. "..."

Odianna released her and walked a few steps away before speaking, "Find your own path Potara, and this time, don't let anyone, especially not me, influence you or tell you what to do or how to live your life."

Potara looked at the ground, frustrated. "..."

"Don't waste your time on me anymore, some people should be forgotten," whispered Odianna.

Potara couldn't stop a tear from streaming down her face, struggling with Pan's memories and adoration for the woman. She stood there, quiet for a moment, before she turned her head, watching Odianna walk away towards her group. A wind picked up, giving the grass a gentle sway. The woman's hair and clothes following suit. Potara etched the moment into her mind, deciding this would be a better last memory of the woman than her anger for her.

Potara closed her eyes and took a deep breath, slowly letting it out. She had wanted to talk to Aneurin as well, but, she... couldn't bring herself to stay here any longer. It was enough for her that Aneurin and Odianna seemed content and happy in their afterlives. Perhaps... it was for the best that it was left at that.

"My own path huh?" murmured Potara, "Hmph. Easier said than done."

She faintly smiled. "Nothings ever easy though."

She tilted her head back. "I guess... for now I'll go home."

With that, she teleported back to Terra, to the portal...

 _GRAB_

Potara gave a start, surprised to see a hand grabbing the collar of her shirt and lifting her up. She was thrown off the hill a second later, landing on her back at the foot of the steps. Potara shook her head and glared upward. There, standing at the top of the hill blocking the entrance to the portal, was the Saiyan Emperor Kale...

* * *

 _Author's Notes:_

 _Cliffhanger time!_

 _I had been waiting awhile for people to vote in the poll, but, I realized I never actually announced it in the story. I was curious to see what people thought of the Pan - Potara switch and put up a poll, its linked in my profile. Go vote!_


	60. Obsession

_**Potara - Chapter 60: Obsession**_

* * *

Potara resisted the urge to sigh loudly. Great... just great... she had been hoping to get in and out undetected. She tilted her head up, noting that Cress and Mato were standing behind him, completely blocking the portal with their bodies in case she were to try and run. She resisted the urge to smirk. If it came down to it, she'd blow through them easily enough. They had no idea just who they were up against. They thought she was Pan, they'd find out the hard way she was Potara.

"Well well well, what do we have here?" mused Kale, "Come to pledge yourself to the Empire?"

Potara rose to her feet and dusted herself off before glaring at him. "I'd sooner die."

Kale smirked. "That could be arranged."

"I'd like to see you try," taunted Potara.

Kale chuckled. "Your defiance is refreshing, if but misplaced."

Kale clasped his hands behind his back, frowned, and studied her. "Considering you did not approach anyone to announce yourself, I can only assume you are trespassing. I don't take kindly to those stepping foot on my new Capital World unannounced."

Capital World?

Potara frowned. "You mean like all you Saiyans kept trespassing on Terra when humanity lived here?"

Kale seemed amused. "We won this world fairly, child. We gave humanity the chance to fight for it, rather than obliterating them from space. They lost, we won, we take the spoils. It is the way of things."

"It's an ass backwards outlook," muttered Potara.

"Why are you here?" inquired Kale.

"If you must know, I was visiting... a friend," Potara forced out.

Kale raised an eyebrow. "The humans of this world are dead."

"I'm aware. I went to otherworld," she answered.

Kale's eyebrows furrowed. "..."

Behind him, Cress scoffed. "She takes us for fools."

"Strangely, I don't think she's lying," murmured Kale, a curious look crossing his face.

He studied her clothing. "You bear the garbs of a Kai. Why?"

"None of your business," answered Potara.

"You are here on my world, thus, you are my 'business'," replied Kale, "You are fortunate that you have not been killed as of the moment for your trespassing. I suggest you mind your words."

Potara smirked at him smugly. "Should I?"

An eager gleam slowly entered Kale's eyes. "You reek of complete and utter confidence, despite having lost to me before, despite knowing that I am an immortal god."

"Lesser immortal," corrected Potara, "You can be knocked out and temporarily beaten."

"You think your capable of it then?" asked Kale, a battle-lusted grin on his face.

Potara was about to answer before she thought better of it. She'd fight if she had to, but, that look on his face said that it was exactly what he wanted.

"If it comes down to it," answered Potara evenly.

Kale's grin changed into a smug smile. "Why back down? It wasn't false bravado on your face, was it? Are you a coward, child, or do I need to make you mad first before you'll fight. Shall I tell you how I killed your friend, Odianna?"

Potara shrugged. "Go ahead, I don't care. She doesn't mean as much to me as you think she does."

Kale blinked a few times before frowning, re-studying her with his eyes. "Hmm."

Potara crossed her arms. "As much as I'd love to punch your face in, I'm not here to fight. I'll be leaving now."

Kale held up a hand. "Why so soon? After all, you've just arrived."

Potara narrowed her eyes. "..."

Kale walked forward, down the steps, and strode past her. "Come."

Potara blinked a few times. "What?"

"You may freely leave after I show you our new Capital World," said Kale.

Potara glared at his back. "I've seen enough of what you Saiyans did to this world, leaving it in utter ruin."

Kale paused to turn his head back to her. "It is in the process of being, _remade_. Are you not curious?"

"Not really," answered Potara.

Kale chuckled. "Amusing. Still, I will not take no for an answer. Unless you wish this to reflect poorly on future relations between our two dimensions, I suggest you come along."

Potara clenched her fists furiously. That bastard...

"Fine," she answered crossly.

Potara followed behind Kale, Cress and Mato taking spots behind her to either side, as if to prevent her from fleeing. She resisted the urge to snort at the thought. It was taking a lot of effort to not go on a killing spree right now...

Kale led her into the partially constructed complex building. "Here will be our Center Hub for all arrival and departures from and to other dimensions. It will house a portion of our Capital World's standing army to repel any potential aggressors and maintain order. Anyone wishing to transverse our world, our dimension, will need to check in and attain permission first."

Potara rolled her eyes and dripped sarcasm, "Right, because genocidal Saiyans just _love_ other race's tourists."

Kale laughed. "You are a constant source of amusement, child. Come, I have something to show you that may change your opinion."

Kale led her deeper into the building, to a set of stairs leading underground. "Prior to you and your family, we believed that all Hybrids were worthless, contemptible trash that plagued the purity of the Saiyan race. We have since... changed... our views on the matter."

An ill feeling started forming in Potara's gut.

"You showed us the raw potential of a hybrid. While you lack in some areas, in others, you excel," continued Kale, "I firmly believe that the power of the hybrid can be harnessed to further the goals of the Saiyan race, you showed me that."

Potara narrowed her eyes. "Then why kill off the human race?"

Kale shrugged. "A matter of principle for the damage they did to us. Besides, there are humans in other dimensions. Which reminds me..."

He stopped walking and turned his head to gaze at her. "You may be pleased to hear that I did not allow Coli to follow through with her threat to slaughter that human's world."

It took Potara a moment to remember what he was talking about, when Coli had been pissed at one of the other dimension's fighters and made a threat.

"Nor, is she allowed to touch your world without my permission, she's been reprimanded for potentially damaging diplomacy between our dimensions," continued Kale, "Consider that a gift, and an apology for her behavior."

Potara was caught off-guard. "Uh... umm... thanks?"

Kale nodded curtly and faced forward. "Come, were almost there. Let me show you what your existence wrought."

They continued down the stars and into a fully furnished large central room, kind of like a lounge. There were several different species co-mingling with one another. There were many different hallways leading off into the distance. She saw signs written in what she assumed was 'Saiyan' on the walls before every hallway.

"We finished the underground portion first. It was fortunate there was an underground cavern system to use as its base. It sped up the process by months," said Kale.

He led her down a hallway, pointing to rooms one by one as they past them. "It is here that we gauge the worth of any new species we come across, or that comes to us. We test them in many ways. Power, intelligence, speed, unique traits, trade skills, personality, and the like. If they are found worthy, and are found to be compatible, we invite them the opportunity to be... integrated... into the Saiyan race."

Potara looked at him, utterly baffled. "Your... letting other species join your Empire?"

Kale smirked. "The Empire? Yes, but, not entirely what I meant. I'm allowing them the chance to join our race."

Potara frowned, the ill feeling from earlier rising in full force. "Wait... what did you mean by compatible? By integrated?"

Kale led her back to the center lounge. "Tell me, what do you see? What do you note?"

Potara hesitated. "A bunch of Saiyans and other races talking with one another?"

Kale slowly shook his head. "Your not paying attention. Look closer..."

Potara searched, not understanding what he wanted her to see. "...?"

Kale waited patiently before sighing. "Apparently 'vision' is not a trait Human-Saiyan hybrids share. Look at the females."

Potara saw it a second later, and was sickened and slightly horrified; Every Saiyan and humanoid alien female was pregnant, visible bumps on their stomachs. This... this is what he meant?! He had seen Pan's power, fought it for himself, was impressed, and now wanted to mass produce people like her?

This was insanity. "Your... breeding hybrids..."

Kale nodded. "Anyone who is found worthy is allowed to become one with our race, to join in our journey to absolute perfection and power. If they wish it, they are brought here to swear fealty to the Empire and join us. If not, we send them on their way."

"I'm sickened that anyone would subjugate themselves to this," growled Potara.

"Subjugate? Have I not said that those here are here by choice?" said Kale, annoyed, "I told you before, I am not one to force myself upon a female, or have a female force themselves upon a man. Those who consummate here, do so willingly."

"I'm done here," said Potara furiously.

"No, not yet your not, I've only just begun to show you the future of the Saiyan race," said Kale, "Come."

Every instinct Potara had was screaming at her to get the hell out of there. She didn't believe she was in any physical danger, but she was about ready to freak the hell out. This was borderline terrifying to think about what the Saiyans were doing here, and extremely gross and disgusting too.

She slowly forced herself to follow behind Kale when Cress nudged her shoulder.

Kale led her down another hallway, into what looked like some weird daycare center with hundreds of empty beds. "We already have facilities in place to carefully raise and judge our soon-to-be born hybrid races. We shall discover which combination of races show the most promise, and favor them greatly in status. You should be pleased to know that humans and human-Saiyan hybrids are already marked as a higher class of citizens, second only to full blooded Saiyans themselves."

Potara narrowed her eyes. Class class class. It was always about rankings and classes of people and power with Saiyans. It really, _REALLY_ pissed her off.

Kale paused. "You seem agitated."

"The whole class thing is stupid," said Potara crossly, "Let a person show their own worth as a person without being judged based stupidly on just the power and ability of their race."

Kale raised an eyebrow. "I'd think that it would be obvious that those who show promise will ascend in ranks and stature. To use you as an example since you have already shown me your power, were you to bend a knee and pledge yourself to the Empire this very moment, I would make you a 'Hand of the Emperor'. An honor that every Saiyan in this dimension would kill for."

"Not. Interested." said Potara thinly.

Kale smirked. "For now, one day though, you will join us, of that I am certain little one. Once you see what we become, you will come around."

Potara stared at him. Was that it? Was he trying to, gods forbid, impress her with all of this? Get her to want to join his Empire? Screw that. He was out of his fricken mind. Especially if as a woman she'd be required to get knocked up at some point like those idiot bimbos in the lounge. No. Fucking. Thank you. She was way to young to even think about that kind of thing right now. Ideally she thought she'd at least be mid-twenties in a steady relationship with a solid job before the thought even crossed her mind.

Her face fell. Not that she'd be capable of having kids anyway... stuck in this child body forever...

She shook her head and refocused. "I suppose we'll have to see then, won't we?"

Kale studied her for a moment. "Something troubled you for a moment, what was it child?"

"None. Of. Your. Business," she said with extreme hostility.

Kale merely faced forward and continued walking. "Let us continue then."

He showed her every inch of the underground portion of the complex. Living quarters already full of people. Training rooms where the Saiyans were testing out potential additions, and... the laboratories...

He showed her that with a simple bloodtest, they could easily detect species compatibility, and check for genetic defects or abnormalities with cross species breeding. It sent chills down Potara's spine. To Kale, it seemed like one giant experiment to try and see which species mixed well. What he showed her didn't draw her interest, not in the way he desired...

No...

It reminded her of the stories of Cell. Of trying to mix and match different species together to create the ultimate warrior. It forced Potara to seriously consider risking retaliation on her home dimension to destroy everything she saw here. What she saw now might not be a threat for the near future... but... in a generation or two... it could be an army born and raised loyal to Kale...

She didn't want to... but... maybe she should blow up Terra? No... even if she destroyed the planet, it wouldn't get rid of the portal. Kale would eventually re-locate it, bring armies from in the dimension, and retaliate. Dammit... what was she supposed to do? Just walk away from it? Kale had implied diplomacy with her home dimension, but, could she really potentially sacrifice other dimensions and just sit safely at home? Kale 'acted' all well and good for the time being with his whole 'your welcome to join us' and other races being 'offered the chance to join us', but, when he had consolidated his power, she doubted he would sit still. It wouldn't matter if it was in ten years, fifty, or five hundred, he wouldn't age. He could wait as long as he wanted to.

He led her out of the basement part of the complex a few minutes later and took off into the air. "Come, there is still much more yet to see."

She flew after him across the planet. Cities were being built from the ground up. Land was being converted into farmland. Large fields were set aside and turned into training areas. The ruins of humanity had all but been wiped away in the half a year since the Saiyans had won Terra. Potara hadn't seen a single land-mark she recognized from Pan's memories. Off in the distance, Potara saw what looked like a palace of sorts being built into a mountainside. The inner keep seemed finished, with only the outer layer and walls needing to be finished. Figures the Emperor would want his castle... wait a minute that mountain... kind of looked like the one that Terra's lookout had crashed into... had they _REALLY_ built on Haven's corpse like that? Gods it turned her stomach...

She slowly shook her head. In a year or two at the rate the Saiyans were going, Terra would be completely converted. She wondered if Odianna and the others in the otherworld knew what was happening to their beloved planet...

"Tell me, child, what do you think?" called back Kale.

"Crass," was her answer.

"Oh?" said Kale, slowing do to stop midair.

Potara scowled at him full force. "What exactly did you expect me to say? 'Good job wiping out humanity'? 'I like what you've done with the place'? Or do you seriously just want to lord it over me that you 'won' here and at the tournament?"

A cross look appeared on his face. "I have been patient with you child, far more than I should have been. If I wanted to 'lord over you' about my victories, I'd have you face first in the dirt, my foot on the back of your head, laughing and taunting you about them. Would you like me to?"

Potara narrowed her eyes. "I'd like to see you try."

The instant Kale made to grab her neck, she reached up to grab his wrist, both of them turning Super Saiyan Blue at the same time. Cress and Mato gave small gasps of surprise, but Kale showed none of that.

He had a shit eating grin on his face. "As I suspected, that bravado earlier wasn't for show."

Potara spun and threw him away from her. "Keep your hands to your own damn self!"

Kale recovered and righted himself, turning to face her, his grin seeming to grow wider and wider. "Son Pan, you are an extraordinary being. To have become a Saiyan God at that age, and with that power... I don't know how but in less than a year you went from being far weaker than me, to dwarfing me in power. Truly remarkable."

"My name," Potara said thinly, "Is Potara! **_Not_ ** Son Pan!"

Kale gave her a curious look. "You abandon both your birth and your clan name for another?"

"They're not my names," she hissed.

Kale raised an eyebrow. "Dare I ask what event made you decide to do so, _Son Pan_?"

Potara glared at him. "I'm about ready to throttle you."

"So touchy, _Son Pan_ , you seem so angered by the mere mention of your name," he mocked.

"That is not _MY_ name! It belonged to a weak and idiotic little girl, not me!" she yelled at him, growing more pissed by the second.

"Calling yourself weak and idiotic are we? Hmm... I wonder... what is it that you did? Why are you here instead of at your home?" he inquired.

Alright, that was enough, she was sick of this asshole. Fuck the consequences. She cupped her hands together, readying herself to kamehameha the hell out of him.

"Tell me... _Son Pan_... are you no longer welcomed at home?" he inquired, a glint in his eye.

Potara couldn't help but freeze up at that question. Freeze up at her own uncertainty of the answer.

He looked her over. "Tell me... what did you do to achieve that _power_? What was it that made you throw your old life away?"

Potara clenched her fists tightly, blood dripping down her wrists. "I... had no choice in _that_ matter!"

"Is that so?" he questioned curiously, starting to levitate towards her, "I find that hard to believe, _Son Pan_. Tell me, what was it? Did you turn on your family in the chase for that power and were banished...?"

Potara began shaking in rage.

"Or did they turn on your while you chased for it, shunning you for your desire? I watched you at the tournament, I saw how they foolishly rebuked you for your fight against myself and Coli. You called _me_ crass when they are the ones who stunted such worthwhile desires," he mused.

Potara lost it, she flew at him in a rage and put an arm clean through his chest before he could react. "YOU FUCKING ASSHOLE!"

She pulled her arm out and began to beat him down, punching and kicking in a blind fury. "I had _NO_ choice in what happened! I WASN'T EVEN BORN YET!"

She two-handed smashed him, sending him flying to the ground where he impacted and left a huge crater. "What is it that you want to hear? Huh? That your right on both accounts? Pan threw her life away chasing power because she felt like her family turned on her! She gave her life to create me like an idiot and left me to clean up her mess! Left me with her family that probably doesn't want anything to do with me!"

She glared down at Kale, whose wounds were already starting to heal, as he looked up at her, baffled and highly curious. "Perhaps I misheard, but, are you... not actually Son Pan? Forgive me if the resemblance between you two is... uncanny."

Gods! How she wished the Doll had been made differently so the fusion between Pan and the Doll had made her look different. "I am a fusion between her and a god construct. I am _NOT_ Pan!"

She knew it was childish, but she couldn't help herself. "I'm not, I'm not, I'm _NOT_!"

Kale dusted himself off, wiping away some of the blood coating him and floated upward, not appearing to care about the beating he just took. "Interesting. Care to explain what exactly a fusion is?"

"A mix of body, mind, and soul between two beings that amplifies their power together," she answered bitterly.

Kale contemplated it for a moment before he threw his head back and laughed. "Glorious, simply glorious. To go so far as to sacrifice her own being for the sake of attaining power, I admit, I underestimated Pan, and am impressed."

Of course he would be...

Kale studied Potara with new, rapt interest. "How fascinating. I'm curious, if she merged with another being, did you assume this form because Pan was the stronger than this 'god construct'? What even is that by the way?"

Potara glared at him. "It was an artificial being created by an angel, it was made in Pan's image, thats why I look the way I am. Trust me, if I could have been born different, I would."

Kale's grin resurface. "Pan had a 'god construct' made in her image to fuse with? I find myself becoming more and more impressed by the moment."

Potara started shaking in anger again. "You... you... it... the Doll was _NOT_ made to fuse with! It was made to steal Pan's power! The Doll was the one to force the fusion! Pan only caved in at the end to get her full power back and grow stronger!"

Kale's grin faded and a confused and wary look crossed his face. "..."

He studied her again. "Hmm. I believe I'm missing quite a few details in the events relating to your birth, _Potara_."

He levitated up to her and met her gaze. "But, for the moment, it doesn't matter. Do you know why, child?"

Potara narrowed her eyes, she had it up to _here_ with this crap. "No, why don't you _enlighten_ me before I spread your body over the countryside over and over again?"

Potara tensed as he slowly reached an arm forward and put it on her shoulder, leaning over to whisper into her ear, "The offer I gave to Pan to kneel and join the Empire, now extends to you. Unlike your family, we would _welcome_ you here, you would have a place and a purpose here with the rest of us, and would be cherished as an important, powerful, and potentially influential member of our race."

"Your free to go, think on what I've said," finished Kale before letting go, turning, and flying away with Cress and Mato on his heels.

Potara floated there, stupefied, frustrated, and... feeling betrayed by herself for a sudden desire to accept his offer when she should have been smashing his face in.

 _...we would welcome you here, you would have a place and a purpose here with the rest of us..._

A place and a purpose...

Potara blinked and violently shook her head. Hell no. No matter how... how much she desired to have her own place to call home, her own purpose, she couldn't even think on accepting what he was offering. His Empire had finished off the humans of Terra. Was home to power hungry monsters that would kill anyone in their way...

 _Like Pan was and would have?_

Potara bowed her head at the thought. "And as much as I wish she wasn't, she is a part of me. Am I like them then? Deep down?"

She shivered. "No... I..."

She turned and bolted, flying for the portal out of Terra as fast as she could. She had to get out, get away from this damn world, away from that man and the memories of a life she herself never lived.

The words haunted her thoughts, gnawed at her. How she wished she could suddenly rush to Earth to find out the answer. Would Pan's family welcome her? Or would they shun and banish her? Was Bata right? Or was herself and Kale right? Gods... she wanted to go home, to have a home... but it was to soon to go back... it hadn't even been a full day yet since she had been born.

Potara reached the portal, energized it, and bolted through. She didn't stop there, she flew in a daze, trying to get away from anything in her sensing range, to just be alone. Finally, she found a portal room where no one was in or near, plopped herself down in a corner, powered down, pulled her knees up against her chest, wrapped her arms around them, and finally let out her grief, frustration, and sorrow in one high pitched scream...

* * *

 _ **Author's Notes** :_

 _There are three different obsessions in this chapter._

 _2 that are Kale's._

 _1 that is Potara's._

 _Can you identify them all?_


	61. Going Back

_**Potara - Chapter 61: Going Back  
**_

* * *

 _One Month Later..._

Potara stood at a stand at the Extra-Dimensional Market, pulling a few red-onion-like rings off a spinning wheel and tossing a few coins to the vendor, chowing down as she walked away and started to brood. Today? Tomorrow? Next week? When was the right day to go back? She had been working at the market as a peacekeeper / bouncer for the Arcosians, earning some money that she kept in a pouch she bought, and keeping herself busy while trying to learn more about other dimensions.

It wasn't a hard job in the slightest, though it was annoying when newcomers to the market, which kind of happened daily, didn't take her or her job seriously. Woes of being forever a pre-teen girl it seemed. Up until she kicked some ass or let a bullet or ray gun bounce off her harmlessly, she was just a nobody child to other people. What was the saying? Don't judge a book by it's cover?

She slowly shook her head, finishing off the last red-onion-like ring and wiping her mouth off on her sleeve, stretching a bit. She resumed her patrol of the market, eyes open for thieves or troublemakers...

"Pan?!" came a startled voice.

Potara blinked a few times before turning her head and freezing, spotting Bulma of all people, walking through the market. In true Bulma fashion, she had over ten bags of purchases, though, they were all being carried by poor Trunks. She had a brief smirk at that, before she recognized just what Bulma had called her.

She narrowed her eyes at the woman. "It's Potara."

Bulma blinked a few times. "Er... right... sorry..."

Potara frowned. "Why are you here?"

Bulma put her hands on her hips and huffed. "Excuse me? This _IS_ an open market ya know. I am shopping!"

A dazed dreamy look entered her eyes, a bit of drool leaked from her chin, and she clasped her hands together up near her face. "There's so many new technologies, clothes, food, and jewelry to try out, and the money exchange rate isn't that bad either!"

Potara scoffed. "Seriously? I looked at those ratios."

Bulma gave her a mischievous grin. "If I were in charge of the market, the ratio's wouldn't be that nice."

"Hey mom, can I put these down?" mumbled Trunks.

Bulma shrugged. "Go ahead."

Trunks set the bags down one by one and sighed. "Jeez mom."

Bulma huffed. "Well, we don't go to the extra-dimensional market every day ya know!"

Trunks rolled his eyes. "Not yet, but by the look in your eye when you first saw it, I think you will be."

Bulma cuffed the back of his head. "Hmph!"

Potara stared at their antics, a hint of an amused smile on her face. How she had missed this...

Well...

Rather how she missed Pan's memories of these kind of interactions.

She hesitated briefly. "Who... else is here?"

"Vegeta and Bra are off somewhere," Bulma said dismissively, "Were supposed to meet up at the entrance of the market in a few hours."

"Gonna be days at this rate," mumbled Trunks, barely dodging another swat by Bulma.

Bulma turned her attention back to Potara, "What about you Pa... er... Potara? What have you been up to since... you left?"

Potara didn't miss the almost name mix-up, but at least Bulma had tried. "Working as part of the market as a peacekeeper and bouncer."

She decided to keep her ventures into the other dimensions themselves to herself for the time being.

Bulma crossed her arms. "No exploring other dimensions? Where's your sense of adventure?"

Potara gave her a look. "Guess it didn't carry over in the fusion."

Bulma winced a little. "Ah..."

There was a moment of awkward silence before Potara sighed and turned to go. "I should go..."

"Potara wait a sec!" said Bulma, taking a hesitant step forward.

Potara paused. "What?"

"When... are you going to come home?" she asked.

Potara's breath hitched in her throat, come home...

She spoke bitterly, "Am I even welcome there anymore?"

Bulma looked at her like she had grown a second head. "What? Of course you are!"

Potara's eyes widened a bit before she controlled them. "Oh..."

Bulma grew quiet for a moment. "Did... you really not think you were?"

Potara didn't answer.

Bulma walked over and hooked an arm under Potara's, "Well, that's settled then, you young missy, are coming back with us when were done!"

With that, Bulma started dragging Potara along. "H-hey!"

Trunks laughed and picked up the bags. "There's no escape now!"

Potara rolled her eyes and let Bulma drag her along. It was... a familiar sensation... Bulma had done this to Pan back in her childhood too, though, it hadn't taken Pan long to willingly want to go shopping.

 _Sniff Sniff_

Potara gave Bulma a curious look. "What?"

Bulma made a face. "When exactly was the last time you washed your clothes or took a bath?"

Potara winced. "Uh..."

Bulma separate and wagged a finger at her. "Potaraaaaaaaa!"

"What!" she whined, "I don't have a house or a bath or a change of clothes."

Bulma gave her an impatient look. "You do and you know it! All you had to do was go home, it's been a month! Even longer if you consider how long Pan was gone for!"

Potara scowled at her. "How long she was gone and what _Pan_ did is no fault of mine!"

"Shesh, so defensive," said Bulma, "Relax, now c'mon. You've been here longer than I have, surely you have to have some ideas on what I should pick up for myself and the others."

Potara rolled her eyes and led Bulma through the market, taking her to one stand after the other. She decided that... she'd go along with Bulma's demand for her to go home. It was... long past time she supposed. She briefly checked in with the head Arcosian at the time, Granite, and ' _handed in_ ' her resignation. He did not seem pleased to lose her services, because she was damn good and booting out troublemakers, but, he merely stated that she was always welcome to return and reclaim her job if she wished.

Not that she would if things went south at 'home'. The Market was far to close to her home dimension. If it went bad, she'd be leaving, and she'd stay as far away from Pan's old life as possible. It was kind of nerve wracking simply walking with Bulma.

She kept expecting the woman or Trunks to be critical of her. But, they just acted like normal... well... according to Pan's memories anyway. Bulma chatted with Trunks and her merrily, asking her opinions on things she wanted to buy, or to tell her of some new invention or fashion back home.

She was in a sense glad Bulma seemed... accepting. But... she was also concerned on the other end. Bulma hadn't slipped up again, but, was she just putting her in Pan's role and changing the associated name to Potara? She didn't want to be a replacement...

She fidgeted a little as Bulma stood at a stand, struggling to push the bleak thoughts away when a voice rang out, "Hey mom!"

Potara turned her head to see Bra and Vegeta approaching. Vegeta instantly noticed her, but made no specific acknowledgement, merely keeping one eye on her as he followed his daughter to the stand Bulma was at. Bra hadn't noticed her, and ran up to Bulma and began to show her an assortment of jewelry and clothes she had bought.

Potara stared at the antic. When was the last time Pan had done anything like that? Just gone on a cloth shopping spree? She contemplated it. During that whole training spree before the Time Plane mess, Pan had pretty much worn nothing but her Gis, and the occasional dress for an event. The last time had been before Pan was sucked into the other dimensions. The notion of 'a life interrupted' flowed into her mind before she banished it. Pan had her chance, and she fucked it up and threw it away.

The follow up question to when had Pan last gone shopping led Potara into: Did she want to do what they were doing? Potara fished into her pouch and fingered a few coins, contemplating it. She glanced down at her clothes for a moment before dismissing the thought. She liked what she wore, she didn't need anything else. Except maybe another few pairs of it...

Wait a second...

Weren't Kaioshins able to just make stuff out of thin air?

She brought a hand up to rub her chin. How the hell did they do that though? Instantaneous Movement just came naturally to her from the Doll. She didn't really know how to perform any of the other abilities or tricks a Kaioshin could do. Though, she wasn't really willing to go and ask Shin or the Elder Kai, gods were _NOT_ beings she wanted to interact with anytime soon, especially the ones back home.

Maybe she'd just ask Piccolo to make her a few spares, well... if he was willing and wanted anything to do with her that is...

Her face fell a bit before she shook her head and banished the thought, watching the blue haired pair ogle and giggle over their clothes. She sighed lightly...

"You said it," muttered Trunks with annoyance, "I hate getting dragged into these."

"Aren't you a fully grown man with a job?" asked Potara, giving a light jab, "How do you let yourself get dragged into these trips?"

Trunks rolled his eyes. "A job for a company my mother owns mind you. Besides, you can't just tell my mother no, to anything, even _IF_ you're a super Saiyan."

Potara giggled lightly at that. "No, I suppose not."

Bra turned her head at the sound of the giggle and gave a small gasp of surprise.

"Oh, right," said Bulma, "I forgot to mention I found Potara wandering the market..."

"Working," corrected Potara.

Bulma waved a hand. "Details."

Potara rolled her eyes. That woman was something else sometimes...

Her thoughts trailed off, and her nerves started feeling frayed, when Bra's eyes turned cold and unwelcoming. She turned her back on Potara and merely resumed going through what she had bought. Bulma gave Potara an apologetic look, but Potara merely looked away. Even if Bra and Pan had grown a little distant during Pan's training spree, they had been close friends...

She turned her head, eyeing a hallway she could fly down. Maybe she should just go...

Trunk's hand gripped her shoulder lightly and he spoke quietly, "Hey, don't let her get to you, Bra's just being Bra."

Potara resisted the urge to scoff. Trying to turn Bra into the 'villain' to convince her not to go off wasn't going to work. Especially when Bra probably had every right to feel the way she did towards Potara. It hadn't been Potara's choice that took Pan away, but, the blame could easily be laid at her feet...

A shadow fell over Potara, and it took her a moment to realize Vegeta had moved to stand in front of her.

"So brat," said Vegeta, "Seen anything out here that might put up a decent fight?"

Potara rolled her eyes and refocused her attention. "Oh goodie. I've upgraded from Pan's 'grandbrat' to a full blown 'brat' now. I'm _overjoyed_."

Vegeta seemed amused. "I can give you a better name if you so wish."

She gave Vegeta a grumpy look. She didn't exactly share any of Pan's 'good' opinions of the man. Neutrally and not letting Pan's memories bias her, he seemed just to be a more tame Saiyan than the Saiyan's colonizing Terra...

She frowned at the thought, and considered Vegeta's question, but in a different manner. Regardless of whether or not she stayed there, those on Earth needed to know what was going on in Terra. Because, to be frank, she didn't have a clue, even with a month to stew on it, what to do. Maybe the others could figure out a way to neutralize the Saiyans without endangering Earth.

She met Vegeta's gaze and said, "We're going to need to talk, all of us, about a threat I saw."

Vegeta didn't betray anything but a slight narrowing of his eyes. "Hmph."

Vegeta turned to bark at Bulma, "Hurry it up woman!"

Bulma didn't even acknowledge him, merely continuing to look over clothes with Bra. Potara smirked a little at that, especially when Vegeta's nostrils flared in irritation. Of course, he didn't do anything to make her move, even he wouldn't dare piss off Bulma. Some Super Saiyan God...

Well...

To be fair, she wouldn't want Bulma screaming at her either.

Ten minutes later, the two blue haired paired finally finished, and shoved their bags of clothes and other purchases into Vegeta and Trunks hands before walking off. Both men grumbled under their breath and followed suit. Potara's mouth twitched into a smile at the sight before following behind them. It was hard to dig it out of Pan's memories, what did the girls back in school call this? Whipped?

Her smile slowly faded as they drew closer and closer to their destination. Her heart started beating rapidly as they walked up the steps, down the line of portals, to the one labeled Earth...

The others walked through without pause. Potara however stood at the threshold, apprehensive...

"Come on Potara, you punched the fricken Omni-King in his face, you can... you can do this," she muttered to herself.

To be honest though, she'd rather go a round with Beerus as Super Saiyan Blue than do this...

She sighed heavily, before walking through the portal and back to Earth. What she came out to was rather surprising. Instead of the small portal building she remembered, an entire kind of complex place was being built. What's more, there were people _NOT_ of the Z-Fighter's group working on the building, in plain view of the portal! What in the world...

"You coming Potara?" called back Bulma.

Potara scrambled to catch up and whispered. "What's going on? Why are there normal people here?"

Bulma looked at her with disbelief for a moment before she blanked. "Oh right, you weren't there for it."

"There? For what?" asked Potara.

"We had our first few extra-dimensional visitors," answered Bulma with chagrin.

Potara narrowed her eyes. "Trouble?"

"Nah," said Bulma, "Well, none-violent trouble, they didn't like not being allowed to look around our world. One of them got out of the building and started flying around. Tons of people caught sight and took photo's of the 'alien' flying around, so our hand was kind of forced."

Vegeta shot Trunks a hostile look. "Because someone couldn't keep an eye on our 'guests'."

"Yeah yeah yeah," muttered Trunks.

"So, we had to make a choice. My father held a press conference explaining that the Briefs had accidentally created extra-dimensional travel," said Bulma before lowering her voice, "We didn't think humanity is ready for knowledge of the gods yet, so we took credit."

"The less we have to do with gods, the better," muttered Potara.

She paused. "What about ki? Plenty of other dimensions use it..."

"Yeah, that got revealed too," said Bulma with chagrin, "Ugh... your grandfather's little act was painful to watch, especially that convoluted explanation he gave for the whole Cell thing..."

Potara raised an eyebrow. "Hercule or Goku?"

Bulma stopped walking, they all did, and turned to stare at her. "What?"

Bulma crossed her arms. "Your _grandfather_ on your mother's side."

"So, Hercule," said Potara.

Bra rolled her eyes and grabbed her shopping bags from her father. "You can deal with her, I'm out."

Potara frowned and watched the girl walk away, feeling apprehensive again.

"Potara... did you really not see them as your grandfathers?" asked Bulma quietly.

Oh... that.

Potara kept her face passive and masked. "I haven't decided yet."

"Hmph," said Vegeta, "Regardless, you said you had something you needed to talk to us about. We will speak in the house privately, Bulma will call the others and..."

 _ZIP_

"Aha! I _KNEW_ I sensed her!" came a familiar and gleeful voice behind her.

Potara gave a startled cry as she was hugged from behind and lifted up into the air. "Hi Potara!"

She glanced back to see Goku clutching her tightly, swinging her back and forth in a friendly bear hug. "Leggo! Put me down!"

Goku grinned playfully before setting her down and ruffling her hair. "Good to see your back."

She scowled and fixed her hair. "Jeez, I ain't a little kid."

Goku merely smiled in response.

"Kakarot, go fetch the rest of your 'friends'," said Vegeta.

"Oh, a welcome home party?" said Goku eagerly, "What kind of food are we having?!"

"No you moron," said Vegeta, "Potara has a warning for us."

Instantly Goku went serious and had two fingers to his head. "On it."

 _ZIP_

Potara dusted herself off and sighed. "He's really like a kid in a man's body sometimes..."

"Wouldn't have him any other way," said Bulma with a faint smile.

Vegeta merely scowled.

They walked towards the house, only for Potara to pause, her eyes lingering on the backyard. Memories flashed by her face, of countless parties and gatherings that had been held there during Pan's life. Her face scrunched up briefly with an odd mixture of wistfulness and rejection...

"Something wrong Potara?" came Bulma's voice.

Potara turned to see the woman standing next to the doorway, looking at her curiously.

Potara walked to and into the house, pausing briefly at the door to mutter, "To many memories that are not my own."

Bulma was silent.

Potara followed Vegeta's energy signature and found him in Brief's lavish living room, leaning against a wall, a contemplative look on his face. Potara picked a single chair and sat down with a sigh, feeling a little anxious. Goku was going to gather them all...

 _ZIP_

In the span of a second, Goku appeared with Piccolo and Dende, dropped them off, and teleported away. The two Namekians eyed Potara for a moment before moving to a corner to talk quietly. Teleport by teleport, Goku began dragging in the rest of the Z-Fighters...

Potara bowed her head and did not gaze at any of them. In truth, there were two in particular Potara was dreading to see.

Gohan and Videl...

She could still vividly recall the way Videl had shaken her, screaming at her to go away and give her Pan back...

When Gohan had said his daughter was gone...

Truthful as it was, and with every right they had to feel the way they did, it still _hurt_. Though she could _grudgingly_ admit she had been kind of a little bitch when she was born. She would _not_ apologize for that though, it wasn't her fault she had been dumped into the middle of that godforsaken mess with the gods trying to take her power from her.

She frowned contemplatively. It had been some time since she had last given it thought, distracted over her job and her worries. The green energy, the 'power of creation' as the Omni-King had referred to it. It was... still a blank spot in her ki where it had been before. That just... _empty_... feeling, she almost hated tapping into her ki just because it reminded her of what had been lost. She could so faintly recall the pure bliss it had been, to channel that energy through her body...

What she wouldn't give to have it back. Forget using it for fighting, if she could just have it to feel it again, she'd settle for that...

"Brat, are you going to brood all day or can we get on with this?" came Vegeta's annoyed voice.

Potara gave a start and glanced that everyone had gathered and was watching her. "Umm..."

She saw them.

Gohan and Videl.

They stood there, on far side of the room silently, looking at her with pained eyes. Gohan looked the same as ever, though, his face seemed a bit ragged and tired. Videl looked even worse, with deep dark bags under her eyes. The moment her eyes met theirs, there was a wave of tension and uncertainty that went through all three of them.

Potara quickly averted her eyes and turned her head to Vegeta. "Sure."

She cleared her throat. "I... went to the dimension Terra was in..."

"YOU WHAT?" exploded Vegeta, "I swear, if you caused..."

Potara glared at him. "I did _NOTHING_ , got it? I didn't go there to cause trouble, I went there to go see one of Pan's friend in that dimension's Otherworld."

Vegeta frowned, looking vexed. "Continue."

"When I got back, Kale was there waiting by the portal," said Potara.

She gave Vegeta a pointed look. "I _COULD_ have beat the crap out of him if I wanted to, but I kept relatively civil."

"Define relatively," said Vegeta crossly.

"I did not punch him," said Potara before hesitating, "Well, at least until he tried to punch me first."

Vegeta reached a hand up to massage his forehead.

"Well, what happened?" asked Goku.

"He... wanted to give me a tour of his new 'capital world'," spat Potara.

"A tour? Really?" said Yamcha, confused.

"Capital world?!" came a familiar woman's voice.

Potara paused at that, turning to rest her eyes on an unfamiliar woman...

Wait a second...

Was that Aideen?

Potara was flabbergasted. Rather than the gi and ragged look Potara remembered her to have. The woman was dressed in a rather nice set of office clothes, her hair done up in a bun behind her head, a slight touch of makeup on her face that made her scars seem less drastic, with glasses of all things on her. She just... looked so much like a normal person now...

The woman crossed her arms. "What?"

"You um... look different?" Potara offered sheepishly.

Aideen shrugged. "Well, I finished my first few set of classes, and Mrs. Brief gave me a job."

Potara's eyes briefly turned to Bulma, showing her a hint of appreciation in them, before returning to Aideen as the woman demanded, "Now what did you mean by 'capital world'?"

Potara pursed her lips. "The Saiyans completely cleared Terra. There are no signs humanity even existed there anymore. They've started colonizing the world."

Vegeta nodded. "Kale wishes his base of power to be near the portal, to have complete control over who comes into or goes out of that dimension."

"I don't see how that's threatening," murmured Goten, scratching his head.

Potara shot him a look. "I'm not done. He gave me a 'tour' of his world, showed me what he intends to do..."

"Erm... why?" said Yamcha, scratching his head.

Potara scowled. "I assume because he wanted to impress me with it, he made an offer for me to join his Empire, I didn't take him up on it."

"Okay, so, what's he doing then?" asked Trunks.

Potara made a distasteful face. "He was 'inspired' by Pan's 'performance' at the tournament. So, he's gathering other races he deems worthy through testing and breeding hybrids."

"Ewww, having babies with aliens, gross," said Bra.

"You know... that's how we we born," pointed out Trunks.

"Ah shaddup, Saiyans and humans look pretty much the same," retorted Bra.

"Quiet," ordered Vegeta, glaring at his two children.

He turned to face Potara. "I want you to detail everything you saw."

She did as instructed, informing him of the complex building, the basement that contained intermingling species, laboratories, living quarters, and the 'day cares'. She explained what she understood about their 'testing' process to Bulma. She finished with her brief flyover of Terra.

Vegeta tucked his chin in. "Hmm..."

"Well... having kids isn't really a reason to go up in arms," said Krillen, "But..."

"What will he be doing with that generation when they come of age? Or how about the next several generations?" said Potara, "He doesn't age, he can wait for as long as he wants and build up an army as big as..."

"It's not our problem," said Vegeta.

Potara froze, disbelief on her face. "What?"

"You heard me brat, it's not our problem," said Vegeta, "We're not a target to them, I'm tired of having to stick our necks out for other people's problems over and over again, and I am not fighting against my own race without just cause."

Potara pursed her lips and narrowed her eyes at him. "..."

"Don't look at me like that, tell me brat, ignoring everything else, how would you deal with an immortal Saiyan god?" inquired Vegeta.

"A wish got him immortality, a wish could take it away," said Potara, "We have dragonballs here and..."

"That won't work," said Piccolo.

Potara grew confused. "Why not?"

"It's something we had considered if he should become a threat, but Dende pointed out a problem to us, a big problem. That immortality was transferred unto him by the Omni-Kings. No eternal-dragon can take away what they gave," said Piccolo.

Potara grimaced. "Crap... um... the Evil Containment Wave?"

"An option, but requires setup and a lot to go in your favor to use, one mistake and it fails," said Piccolo.

"There's always throwing him into the sun," muttered Potara.

"Possibly," said Piccolo, "But I question if that would stop a Saiyan god, especially an immortal one, for long."

"Well what then?" said Potara, "You can't just leave him unopposed!"

"What exactly would you have us do then brat?" said Vegeta before looking her dead in the eye, "In the odds that we somehow fought and somehow pulled out a victory against an immortal Saiyan god, what about those who are 'breeding hybrids' as you say. Would you have us murder pregnant woman, kill their children?"

Potara opened her mouth to retort, but hesitated and slowly closed it. "..."

"He's right on that," said Goku.

Gohan spoke for the first time since arriving, "I... don't like it either, but, we can't go trying to police the..."

He paused briefly. "Dimensionverse? No that doesn't sound right, umm..."

"We get your meaning," said Piccolo.

Gohan gave him a nod of thanks. "It's been hard enough over the years to try and maintain some kind of normalcy here at home. It would be impossible to do it on a multi-dimensional scale."

"Not to mention it would probably make us a big target," muttered Krillen.

Potara slowly passed her gaze around the room. None of them looked as if they had anything to say in her favor. They were really just going to sit back... well... not that any of them but Goku or Vegeta could help with this anyway. Vegeta had said his peace...

She focused on Goku, noting his arms were crossed, a frown on his face.

"Potara," he began, "I'm not one to back down from a challenge, but, I've picked enough fights and made enough decisions that have come back to hurt my friends and family..."

The way he was staring at her wistfully, she was fairly certain he was thinking of the wish that sent Pan to the other dimensions and started this whole mess.

"If we start a fight with them and lose, everyone on Earth dies," said Goku, "I've talked with Vegeta about the Saiyans while you were away. According to him, if we let him do his 'diplomacy' thing, the Earth will be in no danger now, or in the future. That second point is important, me and Vegeta aren't going to be around forever."

"There comes a time when you have to learn when to pick your battles," said Vegeta, "Something that neither you or your fusees were skilled at."

Potara glared at him. "Coming from you of all people? How many times have I heard of you getting your face kicked in for starting a fight with a stronger opponent, or letting them get away with a transformation?"

Vegeta scowled. "My point exactly. Learn from our mistakes."

Potara felt the urge to scream at them, but, suppressed it, put on a passive face, and simply said, "Fine."

Vegeta blinked a few times, appearing a bit surprised that she backed down. "Fine?"

"If you want to let them go unchallenged, then fine. If that decision comes back to bite you, it's on you, not me," said Potara.

She stood up and made to leave the living room only to pause when Vegeta spoke, "What you do with your life is your decision brat, but, if you care at all for Pan's family and friends, do not bring an extra-dimensional war down on our heads."

"Noted," was all she said before leaving the room, frustrated...

* * *

"Not quite how I expected her coming home to go," muttered Goku, scratching the back of his head.

"At least she's not going all psycho," said Bra with disdain, "I was half expected her to blow a gasket."

"Ah give her a break," said Trunks.

"Do... you guys think playing it cool is the right decision?" asked Yamcha, "I mean, I'm glad for once we aren't going gung-ho, but..."

"Kakarot meant what he said," rebuked Vegeta, "He and I wont be here to keep this world safe forever. With all the time we've spent in the time chamber, or Whis's staff dimension, we're nearing our older years. In a decade or two, our power will fade."

"Considering our children's lack of desire to train and Gohan's habit of slacking off on his own training...," began Vegeta.

Gohan rolled his eyes.

"...diplomacy _IS_ the only solution to safeguard Earth's future," said Vegeta, "I'll not have _my_ bloodline fade away."

"Nice to know you care about the rest of us," said 18 dryly.

"Well, Potara would be a good fighter," said Trunks, "She could bridge the gap pretty well until we have kids and one of them wants to learn how to fight."

"Pff, like you'll ever get married and have a kid," teased Bra.

Bulma sighed. "Trunks... I'm not sure she will stay. She seemed pretty content with her life working out in the extra-dimensional market. She... didn't refer to either Hercule or Goku as her grandfather. She's not bound here."

Goku frowned at that, but said nothing.

Piccolo rubbed the bridge of his nose. "That's her call to make. There are dangers to both her staying or leaving."

"I don't know Piccolo," said Dende thoughtfully, "She seemed a lot less hostile than she was after her fusion. That situation was unique and very stressful, using that to judge her might not be fair."

He glanced at Vegeta. "She did listen to you after all rather than go off after the Saiyans all hot headed."

Vegeta merely grunted in response.

Bulma hummed to herself for a moment before glancing at Gohan and Videl. "So... with Potara, are you two going to...?"

Gohan shrugged. "That... is her decision to make. I'm... we're... willing to try to get to know her, but, we won't force it."

Videl didn't comment, a tightly guarded look on her face.

"For now, go on as usual, but be on guard," said Piccolo, "She..."

"Didn't I say we should stop treating family like a threat?" said Goku crossly.

Piccolo didn't back down. "She's only half-family. Remember, while she is part Pan, part of her is also that 'Doll', the god construct. We don't know how much of it's personality play's into who Potara is. Need I remind you just what it did? To treat Pan so cruelly, to use her, and forcefully fuse with her?"

Goku went silent at that.

"We can give her the benefit of the doubt, but, she is not Pan, I won't give her half the leeway or patience I would have given your Grandaughter," warned Piccolo.

"Hmph, you can act high and mighty if you wish Namek, but don't forget, she _IS_ a Potara fusion, there is little you could do about her," said Vegeta, "Try not to egg her on more than necessary, not a single one of us in here is capable of fighting her if she turns on us."

"I'm aware," muttered Piccolo.

"I don't think she would," said Goten.

"Agreed," said Uub, "The way she was looking around the room at us as we gathered, I think that while she may not say it, Pan won out in regards to us within the fusion."

"That remains to be seen," said Vegeta, "Now, if we're done here, all of you get out of my damn living room!"

The group collectively rolled their eyes at him before dispersing...

* * *

Potara flew around the Earth at a leisurely pace, trying to take her mind off the failure that gathering had been. While Pan had flown around this world many times, Potara had never had the chance to. To just fly around, take in the sight of her birth-world, enjoying the wind rushing past her face, the sensation of the tiny ki's of the world's population scattered below her. She wanted to do this at least once, she wanted her own memory of it to turn to, not Pan's.

She flew silently for a few hours, taking in the sights, before she called it quits. She floated in the air above an ocean, frowning and contemplating what to do...

"Well, I do remember what Bulma said," she muttered, "I probably ought to go take a shower and get a change of clothes."

To that end though, she didn't want to go to Pan's home, not yet. Instead, she flew towards the lookout. She arrived there a few minutes later, floating above it. She glanced down, sighting Piccolo and Dende standing at the edge looking up at her. She landed down a bit away from them and approached.

"Umm," she began awkwardly, "Could... I ask you for a favor Piccolo?"

The Namekian frowned briefly. "What is it?"

"Kaioshins are supposed to be able to make things out of thin air, but, the Doll was never trained or taught how, so... could you make me another set of my current clothes and show me how to do that later?" she asked, a bit embarrassed at the request.

Piccolo stared at her blankly, not appearing to have expected that. "Uh... sure kid."

 _POP_

Piccolo snapped his fingers and a set of folded clothes appeared in his hands. "Here."

Potara took them. "Thanks. I don't wish to impose, but, do you and Dende mind if I shower and stay here tonight?"

Piccolo's eyes flickered to Dende, who nodded but asked, "You don't wish to go home? I'm sure Gohan and Videl..."

"I'm... not ready for that," she murmured, not meeting their eyes, "Besides, that's Pan's home, not mine."

Dende nodded slowly. "Alright, your welcome to stay here for the time being then."

"Thanks," she said, turning and making to walk into the lookout...

"Potara," called out Piccolo.

She turned. "Yes?"

"What exactly, do you intend to do?" asked Piccolo, a careful tone in his voice.

Potara stared at him silently for a moment before answering honestly, "I don't know."

With that, she went into the lookout...

* * *

 _ **Author's Notes**_ :

I had this chapter half-way completed for awhile now, decided I might as well finish it up and get it out there.


	62. Green Approval

_**Chapter 62: Green Approval  
**_

* * *

Waking up in a bed rather than underneath a covered stand on the floor was a rather big improvement if Potara had to say. She rose to her feet and yawned, stretching briefly and scratching her head. It took her a second to remember and recognized just what bed and where she was. Ho boy... she had actually gone through with going 'home'. She frowned in quiet contemplation. Now that she was here...

"The hell am I supposed to do?" she muttered.

She had no job here or a real place to live. She didn't want to keep imposing on Dende, and... she had no clue about Gohan and Videl. Images of Pan's bedroom, of waking up and going downstairs for breakfast every morning, of happy smiling faces of her family, flashed through Potara's mind. A sense of longing started to bubble up before she ruthlessly crushed it.

"They're... Pan's family, not mine," she said to herself, "I have no right to even ask them, let along put them through that kind of pain."

Waking up to a doppelganger of their daughter everyday was a torment she wouldn't want to inflict on them. Not to mention, she could easily envision them slipping up and calling her Pan every now and then. She sighed to herself and used the technique Piccolo taught her yesterday, remaking the clothes on her body for a quick clean. She chuckled at that, it sure beat washing and drying.

She walked out of the lookout, sighting Piccolo levitating near the edge of the Lookout in meditation. Potara cocked her head at that. Now that she thought about it... had she ever meditated since she was born? Mmm... nope. Might as well give it a shot. As not to disturb him, she moved to sit down against one of the lookout trees in it's shade, cross legged, and closing her eyes. She took a deep breath, slowly let it out, and began to try and empty her mind...

 _ZIP_

"Morning Potara!" came a cheery voice.

Potara yelped and gave a start, smacking her head back into the tree. "Owww."

"Oops, sorry," said the voice.

She glanced up to see Goku standing above her with a grin.

She sighed. "Morning, I _WAS_ trying to meditate."

"First thing? When did you become a mini-pink piccolo?" teased Goku.

"I'm not deaf Goku," came Piccolo's voice.

Goku laughed at that. "Anyway, wouldn't a spar be a better way to warm up for the day?"

Well someone certainly hadn't changed a bit.

"Sorry, I'd rather meditate," she said.

Goku pouted. "Aww come on."

"Maybe later," she said.

"Pretty please?" asked Goku.

"I don't wanna," she said stubbornly.

"Why not?" he asked, "I wanna see how much stronger you've gotten since you left!"

Potara scowled. "I haven't trained or anything."

Goku gave her an incredulous look. "Why not?"

"I don't like using my ki anymore," she murmured.

Goku looked at her as if she had grown a second head. "Huh?"

She closed her eyes and tried to start meditating. Maybe if she ignored him, he'd go away.

 _Poke poke poke_

She opened her eyes to glare at him as he started poking her forehead. "Seriously?"

"Why don't you like using your ki?" he asked, baffled.

"I already told you before," she growled out.

Goku, frowned, thinking it over. "Umm... I don't remember."

Her eyes furrowed in thought for a moment. Maybe she hadn't said it in quite those words to him, but telling him how empty she felt without the green power, the power of creation, should make it pretty easy to remember and connect the dots.

Then again, he was Goku.

"Goku, you're pestering is interrupting _MY_ mediation as well," called over Piccolo crossly.

Goku pouted a little. "Aww fine. Catch you for a spar later then Potara?"

She grumbled out a 'fine', and was relived when he Instant Transmissioned away.

She glanced briefly towards Piccolo. "Thanks."

Piccolo grunted, but said nothing, resuming his meditation, she doing the same. She couldn't recall through Pan's memories meditation ever being so... intensely calming and peaceful. The lack of thoughts, of worries and concerns... was relieving...

She faintly became aware of voices some time later. She cracked open an eye to see Piccolo and Dende standing and talking at the edge of the lookout. She glanced up to see the sun was up high in the sky. Damn, she had been at it for awhile.

She got up and stretched, moving over to the edge of the lookout a ways away from the two Namekians. She crossed her arms and stared down at the clouds silently. She couldn't see down in the world like they could, but, she could still feel the countless little specks of ki down below.

She softly smiled, standing there for hours, simply feeling the people down below go about their day. She doubted many of them realized just how treasured it really was to be able to live a normal life. She remembered Pan's fly over of the ruined Terra, normal life was something the people of that world would have given anything for.

"Hmph, standing still for hours isn't something I would have expected of you," came a voice.

Potara glanced over briefly to see Piccolo approaching, she turned back to glancing down below. "One of the only 'good' things I picked up from the Doll I suppose."

"Oh?" questioned Piccolo, standing next to her and looking down as well.

Potara went silent for a moment; She did not like looking into the Doll's part of her memories. "Whenever she wasn't being used to train Pan, Whis placed her into his staff dimension for 'storage' for months on end. She had to develop a bit of patience I suppose."

Piccolo grunted in response.

Potara continued to look down, but, her focus was on Piccolo. She was turning over Pan's memories of the Namekian over in her mind. Strong, wise, a great but strict teacher, not afraid to say his mind or give his opinion and would be the first to call someone out on their bullshit. Those thoughts were the first to cross her mind.

Born the reincarnation of someone called King Piccolo, he had originally been an enemy of Goku's before joining them. She didn't know the details per say, but she knew her fath... that Gohan... had something to do with changing him. He had been revived to fight Freeza on Namek, fused with someone called Nail...

Her thoughts froze. Fuse. That's right, Piccolo was a fusion, wasn't he? Not only Nail, but she had learned he had fused with Kami during the whole Cell thing. He was a fusion...

Just like her.

She felt herself wanting to warm up to him almost immediately.

And yet...

She contemplated it. Was he really a fusion? Or had he simply absorbed them? He still went by Piccolo after all, even after 'merging' with Kami...

"Piccolo," she said quietly, "May I ask you a... personal question?"

"Depends on what it is," said Piccolo.

"Did you merge with Kami and Nail, or absorb them?" she asked.

Piccolo gave her a briefly confused look before contemplating it. "Nail... did not exactly fuse with Piccolo, the original Piccolo, the way that Piccolo and Kami did. He gave his power, nothing more. Nail... continued to exist for a time, speaking and feeling through Piccolo a few times before fading into his soul."

"Kami and Piccolo however fully fused to make me," said Piccolo.

"Yet you still go by Piccolo's name?" she questioned.

Piccolo gave her a dry look. "It was that or go by 'Kamiccolo', and no offense to Goku's 'creativity', but no thanks."

Potara gawked at him. "He _really_ called you that?"

Piccolo rubbed the bridge of his nose. "Yes, much to my chagrin."

"Why not come up with a new name then, for yourself?" asked Potara, honestly curious and baffled, "It doesn't bother you to be called who you're not?"

Piccolo frowned. "Potara, I was more than proud to keep that name. Not to mention, Piccolo is mostly who I am. I'm not fully sure how it works with a Potara Fusion, but, it wasn't exactly an even fuse with me. Piccolo is far more dominate in who I am then Kami is. Though..."

Piccolo gave a wry smile. "That old bastard still bleeds through ever now and then."

Potara slowly turned her gaze away and stared down at the clouds. Piccolo was far more content with who he had been born from and who he was than she was...

Piccolo cleared his throat. "I believe one personal question deserves another in turn."

Potara shrugged. "Ask."

Oddly, Piccolo took his time in selecting his words, as if he were carefully choosing each one, "Potara... do you... truly... despise who you were born from... so much?"

Potara blinked a few times before turning to scowl at him. "Piccolo, it's not like you to mince words. If you have something to say, then say it."

Piccolo raised an eyebrow briefly at that. "Hmph, alright. I can understand the Doll, but, I remember what you said when you were born, why do you hate Pan as well?"

This again? "Goku already asked, didn't he tell you?"

"He never mentioned it," said Piccolo.

"Huh, what do you know, Goku respecting someone's privacy," she said dryly, "Must be the end of the world."

"Hmph," said Piccolo, shaking his head slowly.

Potara could see disappointment and resignation building in his eyes, feel it in his ki. She did not like it there, and was a little anxious as to why it was forming. Out of all of them, she felt most included towards her fellow fusion. If she was to stay here...

She needed someone who wasn't Goku, he was friends with everyone pretty much, on her side...

"Why does the question matter to you that much?" she asked, "And can you really not figure it out yourself? Aren't you supposed to be the smartest one out of all of us?"

Piccolo snorted. "Wisest perhaps. Smartest? That would be... your father."

Potara said nothing, she could feel the subtle anticipation in his ki. He wanted her reaction... and she figured why. It made her deflate with equal resignation to what he felt. She shouldn't have come back...

"Piccolo," she said with frustration, "I'm not Pan, nor will I _ever_ pretend to be, no matter how much you all want it."

Piccolo watched her silently for a moment. "You're more like her than you realize if you think that's what I want."

Potara frowned at him, but said nothing.

"You distrust us as much as Pan came to," said Piccolo, "You asked me not to mince words, so be it. What I want, Potara, is to be confident that you're not a threat to the Earth."

Potara stared at him, stunned and speechless. He... he thought she was _DANGEROUS_ to _THIS_ planet?! Her homeworld?!

She turned fully to face him, eyes narrowing. She could not stop a tremor, a ripple of pure anger ripple through her ki. She glared at him furiously, but did not speak, not trusting herself to open her mouth without exploding at him.

There was a bead of sweat that ran down Piccolo's face, but he stood his ground. "What I want Potara, is some hint of who you really are. What do Pan's family and friends mean to you? What does this planet mean to you? What do Pan and the Doll mean to you?"

Potara stared at him silently for a moment before turning away and sitting down, letting her legs swing off the lookout. "I don't honestly even know who I am. I put most of this last month into my job and just lost focus in it. Any other thoughts, I put off."

"All day, every day, for a month straight?" said Piccolo dryly.

Potara's lips curled into an almost nasty grin. "Arcosian's don't believe in child labor laws. If someone wants to work sixteen or more hours a day, they're more than happy to oblige, whether they're an old man or a toddler they'll put you to work if you ask."

Piccolo slowly shook his head. "Ignoring the power difference, I'm not sure which makes me more uneasy, a dimension of Freezas, or a dimension of Saiyans."

Potara didn't bother answering that, if he had to ask, he really needed to sit down and re-think his priorities.

"What about what else I asked?" prodded Piccolo.

Potara didn't like being pressured for an answer, especially when he had the audacity to think she'd hurt the Earth...

Then again...

The Doll wouldn't have given two shits about blowing up the planet.

She...

She frowned.

She had almost not given two shits about blowing it up either. She didn't trust the Omni-Kings, she never would, but, even if he were lying about the green power being able to destroy creation, the backlash of unleashing her power against that pint-sized little bastard most likely would have vaporized Earth and everyone on it.

Fuck...

Piccolo did have every right to wonder if she was a danger.

Dammit... dammit dammit dammit!

She opened her eyes and slowly turned over his remaining three questions:

Pan's family and friends.

The planet.

Pan and the Doll.

Well, she certainly wasn't going to answer in order. "I... wasn't exactly in the right state of mind when I was born into that confrontation with the gods. That... that was..."

She trailed off for a moment. "Something I don't ever want to go through again."

She turned her head to stare at Piccolo dead in the eye. "Earth is where I was born, where I came from. I don't want to see it harmed or destroyed. Do you think I would have came back and warned you all about the Saiyans otherwise?"

Piccolo stared at her silently for a moment before moving to sit down next to her. "No, I suppose not kid."

The Namekian grew silent, but Potara wasn't blind to the way his head was slightly cocked, his ear raised to listen. He was expecting more answers, and she wasn't sure how to give them. For Pan and the Doll, should she go verbatim to what she said to Goku?

...

Did she honestly still think the same after having a chance to cool down?

She pondered it briefly before a brief flare of hot rage in her stomach decided for her. Yes, she did still hate both of her fusees.

"They recklessly and irresponsibly gave life to me and threw me into the middle of that godforsaken mess, expecting me to fix their mess and take their places, something I can't do," said Potara bitterly, "And before you even say Pan had no choice in the matter, she did. She had the power to fight off the fusion, but she let it happen because she thought she was to weak to kill the gods."

There was an intense silence from Piccolo. The look on his face...

"Pan... you...," Piccolo said with immense frustration, "She... truly did learn nothing, after everything that happened."

Potara pursed her lips. "Yes... and no."

Piccolo turned his head to look at her, waiting.

"If the Dimensional Tournament had never happened, if the mental attacks and all the crap that happened there didn't happen, she might have recovered who she was," said Potara, "She... was so close. Maybe she wouldn't have returned fully to who she was, but, she was giving up on power, on the hunger for it. She... just wanted to be happy again. The month before the tournament... was a bliss to her."

Piccolo was silent for a moment, working over that thought in his mind, the barely restrained fury was evident in his ki though. "Do you have any idea who it was that attacked her?"

Potara slowly shook her head. "No, but, I know it wasn't ki based. There's no way it wouldn't have been sensed. I don't think it was technological either, unless they can make microscopic flying machines that can somehow get into someone without them knowing. Even then, with everyone's senses, I'm not sure it would have gotten passed them."

She licked her lips. "I think it was a magic attack. It's something we have almost no experience with outside of a few Majin type of abilities, and Babidi I think if what I know is actually true."

"If?" questioned Piccolo, eyebrow raised.

"To be fair, none of you gave Pan the full details on what you all went through before she was born, just a watered down version for a little girl," said Potara dryly.

"Hmph, fair enough," said Piccolo.

Piccolo refocused on the topic at hand. "Perhaps the Majin at the tournament?"

Potara shook her head. "I don't think so. Pan said like... one thing to it, and when the attacks happened, it hadn't lost against Goku at that point. It had no real reason to attack her specifically."

Piccolo nodded slowly. "Makes sense, but, it leaves us with no clues or options."

Potara closed her eyes and exhaled through her nose. "I'm aware, and sitting here now thinking on it, we're still vulnerable to what hit Pan."

Piccolo turned a questioning eye to her.

"We have no knowledge of how to really defend against magic," she said simply.

Piccolo grumbled a little before clearing his throat. "Thinking back to the Majin Buu conflict, those with a powerful will and identity could resist Babidi's mind control, Vegeta could have if he hadn't wanted to fight Goku. Goku told me Vegetto could still control himself after being turned into a candy, but, I'm not sure how he did that. Gohan didn't seem to be able to replicate it."

Vegetto.

Gohan as a candy.

Twin images **_BURNED_ ** into her mind:

* * *

 _Pan decided not to find out. Pan aimed a hand and unleashed a blast of ki, hitting and knocking Bulla out of the way and to the ground. Vegeta was surprised and momentarily looked at Pan, silent thanks in his eyes, before he turned and blew a hole through Vegetto's chest._

 _"DADDY!" screamed Bulla, holding a hand out towards him._

 _Vegeta flew back to the group as the grayness of stopped time spread from Vegetto and engulfed his daughter and his friends and family, spreading to consume their entire world. Pan watched it all quietly, feeling horrific guilt trying to tear her apart. She could feel it in the other's ki as well, none of them felt remotely good after doing this._

 _To her; the scene; a dead Vegetto with his daughter on the ground nearby stretching a desperate, pleading, hand out to him, tears streaming down her face. Pan knew the image was going to haunt her for the rest of her life._

* * *

 _Gohan rushed forward again, and Xuu rose to meet him. Gohan threw a fist forward, only for Xuu to catch it, and did the same with the other, with similar results. There was a sudden look of victory and glee on Xuu's face as the Majin whipped his head tentacle around and pointed it right at Gohan's face._

 _"CANDY BEAM!" roared Xuu._

 _Pan was mortified as her father gave a startled scream and was transformed into a Tootsie Roll. "No way!"_

 _Xuu caught the Gohan-Tootsie-Roll and laughed maniacally. "What was that about confidence, BOY?! There's more to fighting than brute strength and skill! Sometimes, a well placed spell wins the day more than the most powerful ki blast or hardest punch."_

 _Xuu brought the Gohan-Tootsie-Roll into his mouth and bit down, starting to chew, a wicked gleam in his eye. Pan gave a horrid squeal of fright as Xuu spit the Gohan-Tootsie-Roll out of his mouth and to the ring floor a few moments later. It looked crumpled, chewed, and ruined. Xuu aimed his head tentacle and released a beam of magic, turning Gohan back to normal. He laid there, looking completely and utterly broken, blood, bruises, and limbs bending the wrong way._

 _Pan couldn't bear to look at the sight of her father and turned away tearfully. Oh gods, oh gods, it was awful. She trembled, unable get the image of Xuu chewing on Gohan-Tootsie-Roll nor her broken father's body out of her mind. Dammit dad, WHY? Why didn't he just go God? Why put himself, why put her through that?!_

* * *

Potara recoiled at Pan's memories, gripping the edge of the lookout hard enough to crack it, chunks of it breaking off and crumbling in her hands. Her entire body went rigid, her ki roiling intensely for a moment, enough to darken the air around her and cause sparks of energy to flare. Pain, so much pain in those memories, it hit her like an unblocked punch taken from a god with her defenses down, robbing her of her breath. She was mildly surprised when she didn't spew blood with the sensation, it was her only reminder she hadn't actually taken a physical blow.

"Potara?" questioned Piccolo, his voice tense.

Potara blinked a few times, took a strangled breath, and completely locked herself down, banishing the memory, controlling her emotions, and quieting her ki. She said nothing for a minute, merely staring tensly down passed the lookout, her lips pursed tightly.

"Sometimes," she began icily, "I hate, severely _hate_ , inheriting Pan's memories."

Piccolo's eyes furrowed for a moment before he nodded slowly. "I'll admit, seeing Gohan in that state was enough to turn even my stomach and..."

"Enough," she said coldly.

Piccolo studied her intensely. "I was going to ask the final question, but I suppose that might answer it. Do you hate her memories of us that much? Do you hate us?"

Potara couldn't comprehend his question for a moment. Hate them? How did her not wanting to focus on _THAT_ memory equal hating them? She stared at him, baffled, confused, and a bit hurt.

The thing was...

It was the confusion in his eyes that hurt even more than his question, because she finally, truly understood what he was doing and asking. He did not know her, at all. She was a puzzle to him perhaps, something he was trying to piece together and understand. Maybe she had said a few things he wanted to hear, but the moment she said something he didn't like or misunderstood it was back to square one. He wouldn't trust her as far as he could throw her, which was not at all unless she let him or was caught off guard.

He was probably picking apart everything she sad and critically analyzing it, and her. Her saying 'enough' he probably took as her not caring about what had happened to Gohan. Did he think she was some unfeeling psychopath? The Doll might have been, maybe, but...

She could have scowled. Of course, the Doll.

Just another way her 'parent fusees' had screwed her over. They would never trust her. She had no place here, she never would. The Doll had ruined any chance Potara had before she was even born.

Potara stood up and said bitterly, "I shouldn't have come back."

She turned away from him and glanced down off the lookout, focusing towards the Brief's house. She'd go back through the portal to the other dimensions, leave, and never return...

She paused when Piccolo's hand grabbed her shoulder, but, it wasn't hard, it was unusually gentle from him. "Answer the question."

She closed her eyes, took a ragged breath and slowly let it out. "I could never hate any of you. Be incredibly angry yes? But hate? No."

"I see," said Piccolo before letting her go.

She was caught off guard when Piccolo continued, "That's all I wanted to hear. It's not as if I could stop you, but, you're free to do what you will here on Earth so long as you don't cause anymore trouble than Pan would of."

Potara couldn't help but snort at that and glanced back at him. "You do realize Pan challenged the gods, right?"

Piccolo merely gave her a wry smile and started walking away.

Potara wasn't... sure if staying here was worth the roller coaster ride that conversation had been. Especially if she had anymore like it coming up, which she figured she probably did. She contemplated her decision moments ago to leave, wondering if she still should.

It would certainly be easier.

But life had never been easy since Pan had first gotten sucked through that portal into the other dimensions, had it?

"Piccolo," she said.

"Yeah?" replied the Namekian, pausing a bit away from her.

"Pan never did get the honest none-watered down stories of what you guys went through," said Potara.

"Hmph, and you want to hear them?" asked Piccolo.

Potara sat back down on the edge of the lookout. "Yes."

"Well, I only know what I went through or was told, but, according to Goku, it all began when Bulma hit him with her car in her search for the dragonballs...," began Piccolo, moving to stand next to her once more.

Potara's lips curled into an amused smile.

This might make a good story after all.


	63. Continue or Rewrite?

Hey guys and gals,

It's been a long while since I last touched this story, mainly because I have no idea where I'm going with it anymore (along with many other stories now). I had a goal in mind for the story when I first started it: Get to the Potara Fusion, I had that planned from the beginning. But nothing else afterwards, and I've had shit all for inspiration to continue with it. I have loose ideas...

A) Potara tries to fit in and stay (the obvious continuation), it has its ups and downs, stressful moments, angsts, and other issues or benefits. Becomes more slice of life than action, one of the real problems of being a Potara Fusion is the _ABSURD_ power boost you get from that. The only thing stronger than Potara without the energy of creation is Angels, Gods of Destruction, (Omni-Kings obviously, but they auto-win), maybe something that could be made up or created, and other Potara Fusions if it happens.

B) Potara leaves. Something happens to drive her away, and she goes into the multi-dimensions. Where she ends up is anyone's guess, but I was leaning on the Saiyan Empire, as a way to keep an eye on it on the inside. The Issue with this is the OC fest it would become. When I started on fanfiction, I had no issues with making or using OCs. Nowadays, I try to stay away from that if Cannon provides me real characters I can use. That doesn't work with this fanfiction, with a Multi-Dimension Verse OCs are a huge part of it. Especially since Potara is going to outlive the cannon cast by old age, and she doesn't exist in a vacuum.

C) Potara unfuses somehow. That however goes against the name of the story (unless I make the decision (or force it somehow) a tragedy and end the story at that point or soon after). This could occur along with idea A or B admittedly.

There are also unfinished things that need to be dealt with:

-Towa is the main plot point left to deal with at this point.

-The Saiyan Empire and how that goes is the second.

-Potara herself and what path she takes. I could take a darker turn in the story, and perhaps she herself becomes the villain, which deals with the issue of creating an enemy strong enough for her to fight. Though, not quite sure how I'd go about that realistically, she's _not_ evil after all.

-Anything else really, the dimension-verse is an infinite place, anything and everything could happen or be out there.

 **So, I have a question for you all** : Would you guys like me to try to continue this? Or do a rewrite/re-imaging? If I re-imaged it, I'd probably drop Potara as an eventual character and make it solely about Pan, along with dropping the Power of Creation (PoC). BUT, I would still like to keep the multi-dimensional verse. Just make it different.

Some things that would stay the same:

A) Pan would still be lost in the dimensional-verse, either the same type as before with both Pan and Goku/Co. bouncing between different dimensions, or, Pan stuck in one dimension while the others are looking through the rest. Perhaps the latter, as without the PoC, how do you explain Pan bouncing around? (Could probably find a way I suppose).

B) Pan would still go through many struggles that affect her deeply that leave her hardened and darker than her carefree younger-self. The Loss of Innocence would still be a major early theme for her.

C) When Pan eventually reunites with her family (I think I did it to early in Potara perhaps), there will be difficulty with her family struggling to come to terms with how different she's become, and Pan in dealing with a family she'd consider having abandon her (or had given up on finding her/had accepted her current life & the things she has done).

D) I'd probably re-use some of the same OCs in the remake, if not in the same capacity as before, then, reimaged as well with different roles and potentially different races.

* * *

Either way, continue or rewrite, I can't promise when it would happen. I have FAR more stories to work on than I did when I first started writing this story. So tell me, what do you, the readers, want?


End file.
